End SARS protest: Police don withdraw lawsuit to stop judicial panels from sitting
Nigeria police don withdraw di lawsuit wey dem bin file for Federal High Court, Abuja against di judicial panels of inquiry wey dey torchlight allegations of police brutality.
Di lawsuit bin dey question di powers of di governors of di 36 state of Nigeria wey set up dis panels, but di police now, don withdraw di suit against all di defendants. Nigeria Inspector General of Police Mohammed Adamu bin order investigation into di suit on Thursday, 3 December, 2020. According to statement from di police, di Force Legal Officer wey file di case wey challenge di legality of di States Judicial Panel of Inquiry, wey dey torchlight cases of police brutality don chop query. Oga Adamu add say e go face more problem if e dey guilty of failure of duty. For inside statement wey di tok-tok pesin for di police Frank Mba sign, e say di police oga don express di disapproval of di force management team on di mata and order full investigations into di alleged role of di force legal section including di oga wey dey lead di unit. Di IGP re-emphasize di force commitment to play dia part wit regards to di disbandment of di defunct SARS, di ongoing Judicial Panels and all other police reforms. Before now, di Nigeria police say dem go withdraw lawsuit in question. Police lawyer- O.M Atoyebi tell BBC Pidgin on Thursday say "yes e dey true say we file [court case] but we dey withdraw di matter tomorrow because of di sensitive nature of it. We go withdraw am from Court tomorrow. Members of di Special Anti-robbery squad don come under serious criticism over di years wit allegations of human rights abuse wey many Nigerians label ontop dia head. Dis even lead to serious protest as Nigerian youths enter street to demand for an end to di police unit. End SARS dey trend again #ENDSARS don begin trend for Twitter again afta tori bin first come out say NPF bin wan file suit against di judicial panels. E no clear if e relate to di report but some Nigerians enta social media to para on top dis mata and say dem go come out again on 7, December 2020 for anoda End SARS protest. Nigerian states really get power to set up such panels? Meanwhile, Human Rights Activist and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana don tok say states for Nigeria get power to prosecute cases wey dey before di End SARS judicial panels. But Falana explain give BBC Pidgin say plenti of di cases before di panels na state offense, no be federal offense and dis one give states di power to prosecute dis mata dem. "If anybodi commit offense for any state, di state goment get power to collect di recommendations of di panel and prosecute dem, weda na federal or state officer. Di federal goment no fit set up such panels outside di federal capital, so dis panels na for state and di govnor get power to prosecute', im tok. However, Owerri based lawyer and analyst Barrister Kissinger Ikeokwu tell BBC Pidgin say di panel no get power to enforce dia decisions wen dem complete dia sitting under di constitution. "I believe say dem just dey waste dia time for di panel, but di reason why di pipo accept dem na sake of say dis na di first time goment dey make out time to listen to complaints of di ordinary man". "Dis na di first time pipo dey get opportunity to complain and be listened to outside di law court. Di purpose na for documenting cases and evidence". E add say pipo wey carry dia matter come di panel and get better ruling fit later pull out di documented ruling as evidence and use am for future wen dia matter fit come up in court. "Di panel no get legal backing", Ikeokwu insist. Wen di state judicial panels don hear all di cases finish, dem go still carry dia findings go court before proper legal proceedings go begin. We don update dis tori.