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Members of the Lagos State Government EndSARS Panel and its counsel have engaged in war of words few days after release of its report which indicted security agents in the massacre of citizens in Lekki toll gate.
Counsel to Lagos State government at the endSARS panel of inquiry, Abiodun Owonikoko, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), accused some members of the Justice Okwuobi panel of inquiry of bribery during the panel’s sittings.
According to him, some members were not entitled to sit at the panel because they lacked the judicial competence to determine the issue that relates to the Lekki toll gate because they are protagonists.
He said: “A victim was awarded N10 million and the first question she was asked was whether she wanted compensation she said no, but that she came on behalf of those who had cases to be assisted. In the report the panel awarded her N10 million for trauma. There is a case of a woman before that panel that was awarded N10 million for an injury. She later claimed to have given part of the money to some members of the panel”
According to him,the president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) intervened in the matter ,but it was not allowed to go into the public domain.
He said:”Some victims who were said to be EndSARS victims that never testified were awarded N10 million or N15 million in compensation. I cannot take that report as authentic. The only people that you should compensate are those that appeared before the panel. Anything in that report as at now is not admissible before the law, if they are to be sued for libel their evidence cannot be admissible in court
He picked holes the composition of the membership of the panel, stressing that some of them were not qualified to be members.
He revealed that there were almost 40 material discrepancies in that report, including awarding financial compensations to people who were claimed to have died, who never died..
He said:” They later came out to say that they did not die. How would you make that kind of mistake to award millions of naira to somebody, claiming that he has died? He was even a witness and in the report they awarded him N15 million to him. What kind of report is that? The report is not good for Nigeria.
But a statement from Ebun Adegboruwa,SAN,a member of the panel,said in a statement that Owonikoko’s accusation
was unfair, ungodly and least expected of the government and its lawyers.
He deplored unfair persecution of members if the panel,whom he said never lobbied to be appointed to do the job
He said:”The Lagos State Government asked for two weeks to enable it release a White Paper on the report submitted to it by the Panel. And we have been waiting, but it would seem that the Lagos State Government has now unleashed mindless propaganda upon Panel Members whilst at the same time asking for restraint from the general public.
“I have in my custody, certified true copies of all proceedings of the Panel and all exhibits tendered before the Panel in respect of the Lekki Toll Gate Investigation. I urge the government to call its agents and lawyers to order so as not to provoke aggravated responses.
“It is unfair to seek to denigrate peoples’ hard-earned reputation on account only that they accepted to render selfless service at the behest of government. If the government and its agents are not restrained from attacking others, nothing stops us from defending our integrity.
“I should not become a victim of unwarranted attack just because I accepted to serve the government and the outcome of that assignment did not favour the expectations of the government. Suffice it to mention that I worked with men and women of unblemished integrity and I’m proud to be associated with them all.
“I therefore appeal to His Excellency the Governor of Lagos State to call all agents of State to order and to keep to his promise to us to release a White Paper within two weeks and to send the unedited report of the Panel, to the National Economic Council”
In another statement,Adegboruwa, faulted Owonikoko’s position that the report of the panel should be rejected because he signed it, despite the fact he was not present at some of the sittings of the Panel.
I served on the Panel on the mandate of the Governor of Lagos State, who told me on telephone that I was chosen to represent CIVIL SOCIETY. I requested for and approval was granted in writing, that my appointment was on a part-time basis.
He said he was told by the Governor told me that two members were chosen to represent civil society on the Panel so that one of them would always be present at the Panel to excuse the absence of the other.
“I accepted the appointment in good faith, to serve the people, to calm frayed nerves at the time and also to restore normalcy to Lagos State. So, at all times, I functioned in partnership with my colleague from civil society, and there was no major sitting of the Panel in which both of us were absent.
I also served on the Panel free of charge, from October 19, 2020 when the Panel was inaugurated till November 15, 2021, when the Panel submitted its report.
He said the government was well aware of my identity, my perspectives, my philosophies and my general convictions, at least since my university days, before it nominated me into the Panel, that I will always say things the way they are. All Panel members acted in good faith, independently and in the fear of God Almighty.
“My principled struggles in respect of toll fee collection started way back from 2011, almost nine years before the Panel was inaugurated. Indeed, the Governor said that these were the factors that favoured my selection as a member of the Panel. Will I then deny myself, forfeit my reputation and discredit my constituency, my colleagues in the Nigerian Bar Association and comrades in civil society, in order to please anybody or cover up the truth? Never!”
He maintained that it was improper for Lagos State Government, through its lawyer that appeared before the Panel and other sponsored agents, to subject the report of the Panel and the integrity of Panel members to media trials and attacks, all in the bid to build up the contents of its White Paper.
He added that it was uncharitable for the same government that urged the Panel not to be held down by strict rules of technicalities of law in order to unravel the real truth about the Lekki Toll Gate incident, to now through its counsel, talk about alleged legal discrepancies, to frustrate the good work of the Panel that it set up.
He said:”There are documents to back up and defend the report submitted to the Governor by the Panel but I have chosen to defer to His Excellency and to await the White Paper as promised, because I believe that the Governor meant well in setting up the Panel and giving us free hand to operate. I appeal to His Excellency to continue in that note of sincerity.
“There is no minority report from the Panel as the report submitted to the Governor on November 15, 2021 was unanimously endorsed by all members of the Panel, who worked tirelessly, day and night, to serve the government and the people, even at great risks to their health, personal safety, career and family obligations and their general well-being.
“I’m very sure that Panel members would have been lionized to the highest heavens if we had bought into the narrative of the government before the Panel that it was criminals, cultists, hoodlums and unknown gunmen that operated at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.I urge the government to focus on the findings and far-reaching recommendations contained in the report, in order to pursue the laudable objectives of setting up the Panel to achieve true healing and reconciliation, instead of seeking to demonize Panel members and their report or to evade responsibility”
