*Urges affected youths to challenge the exparte order
The Lagos State Government has urged the two representatives of youth in the Lagos Judicial Panel Of Inquiry against the activities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and police brutality to come back for sittings of the panel to resume
The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Lagos, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, made this appeal on behalf of the State while featuring on Channels Television on Monday
He said Lagos government has no hand in the freezing of the bank account of the EndSars protesters and absence of the youth representatives has resulted in lost of quorum by the panel
Consequently, if they (the youth representatives) do not come back for sittings to resume, victims of SARS abuses may not get justice
“The representatives of the youths on the panel who were affected by the CBN decision to freeze these accounts should bear two things in mind;
“One is that by the panel not forming quorum, then it means that all the victims of SARS abuses in Lagos which they have been clamouring for will not get the compensation which they seek and which the state government thinks they deserve.” Onigbanjo, SAN said.
He added “All those affected cannot get their compensation for no fault of theirs because the panel members have some legal issues with the CBN.
“This problem is not the state’s making; the state has no control over the CBN. The state is interested in ensuring that people who suffered abuses in Lagos State ventilate and get the compensation which the panel awards to them.
“Also, very crucial and critical, there have been so many allegations about what happened at the Lekki toll gate on the 20th of October this year. Again, that very crucial investigation will not be able to go on because of this quorum issue.”
He therefore called on the youth representatives to resume sittings
“I would be urging the affected panel member and the other youth representative to resume their seats at the panel.” he said
Furthermore, he said the affected youths can challenge the exparte order obtained by the CBN while sitting of the Lagos Panel goes on
He said, “The CBN got a court order against their accounts and I believe that decision can be challenged on its own. They can go to court and challenge the decision of the CBN and at the same time, let the panel continue the work which impact on the lives of so many people in Lagos State and which also touches on what happened at the Lekki toll gate.”
