Activist Writes Akeredolu, Wants Recommendations Of EndSARS Panel Implemented

By Ayodele Oni

Human Rights lawyer, Mr Tope Temokun, has urged Ondo State Government to implement recommendations of the Judicial Panel on EndSARS protest submitted to it six months ago.

The plea, coming a year after the endSARS protest, which rocked the entire country, was contained in an open letter addressed to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu by the Activist.

While receiving the report of the panel, headed by Justice Sidiq, Governor Akeredolu admitted that the endSARS protest actually took place but was along the line hijacked by hoodlums that used the opportunity to embark on political vendatta in the state.

The protest led to the destruction of offices of the two political Parties In Ondo state, the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) and All Progressive Congress, (APC).

The Governor had vowed not to pay the sum of N755 million recommended by the panel saying he would have preferred spending such fund on meaningful projects.

The lawyer stated in the letter that “While I agree partly with Your Excellency that not all cases presented before the panel and which got favourable recommendation for monetary compensation really deserve such compensation.

“I appeared before the panel in some petitions filed on behalf of genuine victims of police brutality and I know that some big politicians filed petitions too that their multi-million naira houses were burnt and wanted the government to pay them for their loss.

“We did not re-open our case before the panel. We simply presented our judgment before the panel and prayed the panel to recommend that the judgment be complied with, as we have written to both the commissioner of police of Ondo State and the Inspector-General of Police, demanding compliance, but all to no avail.

“We had also written to the Attorney-General of the Federation, seeking consent of the AG to execute the judgment against the fund of the Nigeria Police Force, before the panel came and we saw another public platform to canvass compliance.

“Cases of similar or same character with the above form the bulk of cases before the panel and it would only amount to greater injustice against this class of citizens whose cases deserve government attention and intervention if they are categorized generally with others and written off as cases of politicians settling scores.

“However, the precious time and state resources invested in the panel, both by the government and the public, would simply have amounted to a waste of precious time and public resources, if the recommendation, particularly, the deserving cases therein, is not implemented, for the real victims of police brutality to go away fulfilled that justice has been done.”