Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr. Femi Falana has described the review of the Retired Justice Doris Okuwobi’s #EndSARS panel findings on the Lekki Shooting incident in October 2020 as illegal.
The lawyer said the White Paper committee set up by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to review the findings of the panel did not have the legal backing and competence to edit, modify, alter or reject the report of the commission.
He said, “When the government set up a White Paper committee a fortnight ago, I questioned its legal validity. It was my view that since the committee is unknown to law, the members were not competent to edit, modify, alter, edit or reject the report of the commission, more so, that the members of the White Paper committee did not have the opportunity of taking evidence from the witnesses who had testified before the commission.
The governor cannot reject the report, summary of the evidence, and findings of the Okuwobi Judicial Commission in any material particular.
In a bid to discredit the findings of the Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for victims of SARS-Related Abuses and Other Matters, the White Paper Committee acted ultra vires by advising the governor to accept, reject or refer the recommendations of the panel to the Federal Government. Thus, the state government arrogantly stated that the claim that nine people died at LTG on October 21, 2020, from gunshots fired by the military are based on assumptions and speculations.”
In his reaction to the panel’s report, Sanwo-Olu had regretted that the report generated so much tension in the state.
The governor also regretted that a leaked and unauthorized copy of the report led to fierce, divisive debates in the mainstream and social media spaces.
He, therefore, extended a hand of friendship to rap artiste Falz, comedian Debo Adedayo aka Mr. Macaroni, #EndSARS activists, and civil society organizations, whilst suing for peace, but they all rejected the governor’s proposed peace walk.
