The Lagos State Judicial Panel on SARS-related abuses has ended its tenure after sitting for a full year since its inauguration on October 19 last year.
On its last sitting on Monday, the Doris Okuwobi-led panel awarded 23 more petitioners the sum of 148.2 million naira as compensations for various brutalities they suffered at the hands of police officers including illegal killings of their loved ones, harassments and arrests.
The panel awarded 10 million naira each to twelve families, after it found merit in their petitions against the police for the extra judicial killings of Michael Owoicho, Fatal Ogunseye, Ismaila Akapo, Mustapha Moruuf, ikechukwu Iloamuzor, Yusuf Omole, Bukola Adeogun , Taiwo Egbaiyeyomi, Sylvester Okoronkwo,
Gabriel Ayodele , Yemi Abdul Kareem and the most recent Gabriel Aiyedungbe who was shot in the head by police officers attached to the Ojodu police station on October 21 2020.
Other petitioners were given various awards ranging from 500,000 to five million naira.
But, the panel refused compensation to the widow of a LASTMA official, Rotimi Adeyemo who was killed on duty by a SARS officer, who himself was later killed by a mob.
On the Lekki tollgate shooting incident of protesters in October last year, which the panel was also tasked to investigate, it said it was yet to write out it’s findings and would submit its reports to the state government which will include recommendations for compensations to affected individuals.
Justice Okuwobi said it had a heavy docket of 252 petitioners, in all out of which 52 petitions are yet to be open at all.
The panel said it will also transmit these unopened petitions as well as those yet to be concluded to the ministry of justice for consideration on setting up another body that will handle human rights violations in the future.
