Womam tells judicial panel how policemen stormed her room, shot her leg and ran off

The case against alleged brutality by operatives of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad continued as Mrs Mfon Uweh of Urue Offong/Oruko Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, on Wednesday, March 3, narrated her ordeal.

Uweh, who revealed the chronology of events before the Justice Ifiok Ukana-led Judiciary Panel of Investigation, stated how police officers broke into her house, shot her in the leg, and fled.

The mother of four sought the sum of N20 million as compensation for the troubles she had passed through since the incident in 2010 and to be able to get proper medical treatment.

In a memo, JPPB/MEMO/061 presented to the panel by the counsel to the petitioner, Ewa Okpo Edmund, Mrs Uweh narrated, “As I was lying down in my room when I came back from the market, some armed policemen broke in, I was shocked because I never had issues with anybody. Immediately, I heard another policeman within the premises shouting, “including that room, including that room.”

In the midst of that confusion, according to the victim, she tried to stand up from her bed to inquire what was going on, unfortunately, the policeman that was inside her room shot her in the leg and zoomed off.

Uweh further disclosed that her parents reported the incident to the then village head, late Chief Deyang who confirmed that he actually invited the police officers to the community to raid and arrest the youths terrorizing the village.

She bemoaned the lack of investigations by the Police while revealing how she had spent millions of Naira in medical expenses.

Also, the petitioner’s counsel, Ewa Edmund in his prayers, requested the panel to ensure a state-sponsored treatment for the victim, scholarship for her children willing to pursue their academics or any chosen vocation and cash compensation of N20 million for the loss the victim and her family had suffered.

However, the Chairman of the panel, Justice Ukana, in response adjourned the case for consideration in camera.

#EndSARS: Police Ask Abuja Court To Stop Judicial Panels’ Probes.

The plaintiff in the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020, urged the court to restrain the Attorneys-General of the 36 states of the federation and their various panels of enquiry from going ahead with the probe focusing on police impunity.

The Nigeria Police Force has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja praying for an order stopping the various states’ judicial panels of enquiry probing allegations of rights abuses and other acts of brutality perpetrated by the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other police tactical units.

The plaintiff in the suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020, urged the court to restrain the Attorneys-General of the 36 states of the federation and their various panels of enquiry from going ahead with the probe focusing on police impunity.

The defendants, totalling 104, who were sued by the NPF, comprised the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission which set up the Independent Investigative Panel sitting in Abuja, the Attorneys-General of the states, and chairmen of the states’ panels.

The decision to set up the various panels of enquiry was taken by the National Economic Council with members including the 36 state governors and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in the aftermath of the recent nationwide #EndSARS protests demanding an end to police brutality.

According to a report by Punch, the NPF, through their lawyer, Mr O. M. Atoyebi (SAN), argued in the new suit that the state governments lacked the power to constitute the panels to investigate activities of the police force and its officials in the conduct of their statutory duties.

According to the plaintiff, the state governments’ decision to set up such panels violated the provisions of section 241(1)(2)(a) and Item 45, Part 1, First Schedule to the Constitution and Section 21 of the Tribunals of Inquiry Act.

It argued that by the provisions of 241(1)(2)(a) and Item 45, Part 1, First Schedule to the Nigerian Constitution only the Federal Government had exclusive power to “organise, control and administer the Nigeria Police Force”.

It, therefore, urged to, among others, declare that “the establishment of a panel of enquiries by the governors of the various states of the federation of Nigeria, to inquire into the activities of the Nigeria Police Force concerning the discharge of her statutory duties is a gross violation of the provisions of Section 241 (1)(2) (a) and Item 45, Part 1, First schedule, 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and Section 21 of the Tribunals of Inquiry Act, Cap.T21, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004”.

The plaintiff also urged the court to declare 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”.

It sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining the 3rd to 38th defendants (the state Attorneys-General of the 36 states) “from making or conducting any investigations, sittings, and inquiries and from making or conducting any further investigations, sittings and inquiries in respect of matters affecting the Nigeria Police Force, and or further setting up any panel of inquiry in any state whatsoever in the country”.

Lagos panel suspends sitting, as member boycotts after CBN froze #EndSARS supporters accounts

The sitting of the Lagos State Panel of Judicial Inquiry probing excesses of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was suspended on Saturday due to the absence of a youth member of the panel, Oluwarinu Oduala.

Oduala, one of the frontline protesters of the ENDSARS movement refused to show up in protest of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) freezing her bank account alongside 19 others.

The CBN had obtained a court order freezing the accounts of 20 #EndSARS promoters till January 2021.

Reacting to the development on her Twitter handle on Friday night, Miss Oduala said “My name is even the first on the list.

“Such a criminal that I am, that I protested without arms only putting on a white shirt stained red to say the Police should stop killing we youths.

Freeze my account from today till tomorrow. I no get car. I go trek !Face with tears of joy
#EndSars”

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