By James Orji
Members of the judicial panel set up by the Lagos State government have declared war on the Governor Babajide Sanwo- Olu led administration barely 48 hours after the state government released a white paper, on the Justice Doris Okuwobi- panel report that investigated the alleged killing of Endsars protesters at Lekki Toll gate on October 20 last year.
While responding to the white paper, a member of the panel, Ebun Adegboruwa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN said the state government was trying to cover up the event that transpired when hordes of youth protesting police brutality gathered at the Lekki Toll gate last year. The white paper, Adegboruwa who represented the civil society at the panel, said is a false representation of the recommendations of the panel.
Adegboruwa, had, immediately the panel submitted the report to the state government threatened to released the details if the state government failed to released the report to the public.
The rights activist said the state government had yet to avail members of the panel copies of the white paper since it was released on Tuesday. He said the allegation, by the state government that the members of the panel involved in financial impropriety for the one year that it seated.
The panel submitted the report two weeks ago following which the state government has now issued a white paper. Mixed reactions have trailed the report since it was submitted to Governor Sanwo-Olu.
According to the white paper issued on Tuesday, December 1, the state government accepted 11 out of the 32 recommendations made by he panel, rejected one and accepted six with recommendations. The major highlight of the white paper is the government’s position that nine Endsars protesters were killed by soldiers who invaded Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020. The state government said in the white paper that no evidence was presented in the report to back up such claim.
The panel had described that event at the Lekki Tollgate as a massacre, noting that at leaSt nine protesters were killed.
According to the senior lawyer, “the impression was also created that the panel mismanaged funds released to it. It has become necessary therefore for me and all other members of the panel to study the white papers and make appropriate responses thereto.
“There will be no holds barred, since the government itself has opened the doors for public scrutiny of the report and the white papers. For the records, the panel relied upon the evidence of witnesses, documents tendered before it and the goodwill of the people of Nigeria, throughout its assignment.
“It is painful for me and the panel that the government is creating the wrong impression of financial impropriety as a tool of distraction when the panel had a secretariat that managed all its funds, through the ministry of justice.
“Although I served on the panel free of charge without collecting a dime, I know as a fact that other members served sacrificially, giving up their time, families and careers for a whole year,” Adegboruwa said.
Adegboruwa “the white paper is riddled with cover ups and contradictions, he said, adding that the panel report only confirmed what many Nigerians already knew on what happen during the Endsars protest.
“At the appropriate time, we will respond to all the inaccuracies, the coverups and the inconsistencies contained in the white papers released by the government.
“Assuredly, nothing can ever cover the truth. What happened at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020, was already in the public domain. Those who received the bullets knew what happened and the doctors that treated them knew what happened. The panel reports only confirmed what most Nigerians already knew”.
Mewnahwile, the magazine learnt that the state government will still go ahead with the planned “peace walk” by the Governor Sanwo-Olu despite the decision of some Endsars youth leaders not to participate in the yet to be scheduled event. The Governor had on Monday in item prominent youths leaders such as singer Falz, Mc Marcaroni, an popular social media comedian and a host of others, to join him in the peace walk. Virtually all the invitees have turned down the invitation.
