The Lagos State Government has countered the report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters submitted to it about two weeks ago.
In a White Paper released late Tuesday night, the government rejected the Panel’s report that at least nine persons died from shootings by armed soldiers at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.
But the government declared that only one person died from gunshot wounds on that night.
The White Paper released by the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso.
Out 32 recommendations made by the panel, the government accepted 11, rejected one and accepted six with modifications. It said the other 14 recommendations fall outside the powers of the Lagos State Government and will be therefore be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration.
The Panel’s report has generated controversies since it was leaked to the press on the day it was submitted to the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The government debunked the claim by the Panel that as many as nine people died on that night. In the Panel’s report, it had listed 11 names as people who died from the shootings, but two of the names were repeated in its report.
The government debunked the Panel’s claims on this.
“It is quite astonishing that in the list of eleven (11) deaths set on pages 297-298, two (2) of the names appeared twice (Kolade Salam, Folorunsho Olabisi as Nos. 37 and 38). Furthermore, the person ben, as No. 46 Nathaniel Solomon who testified as a witness and petit the JPI in respect of his brother who he alleged died at LTC, himself listed as having died at LTG on 20th October 2020, Remarkably, Nathaniel Solomon’s deceased brother (Abuta Solomon, was then also listed: as ‘No.2 on the list of persons who died at LTG. The only victim of gunshot injury from LTG was picked up at 7:43, on 21* October 2020 after the curfew commenced (see page 99 Furthermore, there was no shred of evidence regarding who shot him,” the statement noted.
“Another substantial inconsistency in the JPI Report was the award of compensation to only one (1) out of the alleged nine (9), listed as “deceased” which showed that the JPI itself had doubts as to the death of eight (8) other allegedly deceased persons on its list. See page 304 of the JPI Report.”
Among the recommendations by the Panel was one that says that N10m should be awarded to one Serah Ibrahim. It rejected the recommendation, with an explanation.
“The JPI also surprisingly awarded the sum of N10M to one Serah Ibrahim (listed as No. 14 on Page 304 of the Report). Serah Ibrahi was neither a Petitioner nor a Claimant before the JPI. On Page 179 0 the Report, Serah Ibrahim testified on oath that she did not have a petition before the Panel; neither did she have any claims for compensation. This award to Serah Ibrahim is also contrary to t provisions of section 13 Tribunal of Inquiry Law 2015 (Cap. T6 La of Lagos State) which prescribes that only witnesses requested summoned by a Tribunal of Inquiry is entitled to witness fees subject to the consent of the Attorney General. Serah Ibrahim did not testify at t request or summons of the Tribunal. See pages 17-18 of the Report for the list of summoned witnesses,” the paper stated.
Similarly, the government rejected a recommendation that the State government should erect a monument at the Lekki Tollgate to memorialise the lives lost and those injured there.
“This recommendation is not acceptable to Lagos State Government for the following reasons: The finding of the JPI at page 288 paragraph M is that “The evidence of the pathologist Prof Obafunwa that only 3 of the bodies that they conducted post mortem examination on were from Lekki and only one had gunshot injury and this was not debunked.
“We deem it credible as the contrary was not presented before the panel.”. The JPI’s finding of nine deaths is therefore irreconcilable with the evidence of Prof. Obafunwa that only one person died of gunshot wounds at 7:43pm at LTG on October 21, 2020.
“Having held that there was no evidence before it to the contrary of what Prof Obafunwa said, the question is where did the JPI then get its finding of nine deaths? This finding of nine deaths at LTG on 20th October 2020 is even more baffling because apart from listing out their names in tabular form at pages 297-298, the JPI offered no explanation regarding the circumstances of their death.
“It is quite astonishing that in the list of eleven deaths set out at pages 297-298, two of the names appeared twice (Kolade Salami and Folorunsho Olabisi as Nos. 37 and 38).
“Furthermore, the person listed as No. 46 Nathaniel Solomon who testified as a witness and petitioned the JPI in respect of his brother who he alleged died at LTG was himself listed as having died at LTG on 20th October 2020. Remarkably, Nathaniel Solomon’s deceased brother (Abuta Solomon) was then also listed as No. 2 on the list of persons who died at LTG.
“The inconsistencies and contradictions in the entire JPI Report concerning the number of persons who died at LTG on 20 October 2020 and their cause of death rendered the JPI’s findings conclusions thereon as totally unreliable and therefore unacceptable,” the government said.
It also said it would forward the recommendations asking for disciplinary measures to be taken on military officers deployed to disperse protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, to the Federal Government, National Economic Council and the Nigerian Army.
Among the recommendation on this was the one that said disciplinary actions should be taken on Lt. Col. S. O. Bello and Major General Godwin Umelo, for refusing to honor the summons of the panel in order to frustrate the investigation.
“The Lagos State Government notes and it will forward this recommendation to the Federal Government, National Economic Council and the Nigerian Army for their consideration.
“All officers (excluding Major General Omata) and men of the Nigerian Army that were deployed to the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020 should be made to face appropriate disciplinary action, stripped of their status, and dismissed as they are not fit and proper to serve in any public or security service of the nation.
“The Nigerian Army is an organisation that has its own disciplinary procedures and processes as set down by law, over which Lagos State government has no control. Nevertheless, Lagos State Government will forward this recommendation to appropriate authorities for their consideration and action,” the government noted.
