EndSARS: Police ask Abuja court to stop judicial panels from probing it
- The Nigeria Police Force has approached the court to promptly stop all the ongoing investigations against its operatives
- In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020, the force said the composition of the judicial panels in the 36 states is against the law
- The NPF has been in the face of storms after its operatives were accused of gross human right violation by Nigerians during the EndSARS protest
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In what appears to be a sly move, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order to stop all the state attorneys from proceeding with the ongoing investigation against police brutality across the country.
The police, in the order, also pleaded with the court to stop the ongoing probe of abuses of human rights by the newly-constituted judicial panels in the 36 states.
It would be recalled that the federal government had mandated the composition of the judicial panels to look into the cases of human rights violation by the police offers of the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
The panels, which were constituted following the massive EndSARS protest across the country demanding for good governance and end to police brutality, have been sitting in the 36 states of the federation.
But in a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020, the force argued that the decision by governors to set up panels of inquiry to investigate activities of police violates Section 241(1)(2)(a) and Item 45, Part 1, First Schedule to the Constitution and Section 21 of the Tribunals of Inquiry Act, The Nation reports.
Source: Twitter
The suit, which has 104 defendants, was filed by the police through its lawyer, O. M. Atoyebi (SAN).
Part of the statement read:
"A declaration that having regard to the circumstances of this case, the attitude of the governors of the various states of the Federation of Nigeria in this case is unconstitutional, illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever."
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Meanwhile, Mohammed Adamu, the inspector general of police, has warned that no form of EndSARS protest would be condoned again in the country.
IGP Adamu issued this warning on Friday, November 27, in Abuja during a meeting with commissioners of police across the 36 states. He said no protest under any guise will be allowed, saying "we have prepared to face them."
Speaking further, the police boss said the force's operatives protected the EndSARS protesters but the demonstration later turned violent, leading to the wanton destruction of properties and breaking of orders.
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Source: Legit.ng