Lekki Concession Company: Lagos Lekki toll gate plaza return to LCC divide judicial panel members, Segalink, Rinu, Temi react
Lekki Concession Company request to take over Lekki toll gate again, wey Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for victims of police brutality agree to, divide members of di panel and create controversy for Nigeria commercial capital city.
Chairman of di panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi, give di ruling on Saturday wey go allow Lekki Concession Company [LCC] Ltd to repossess di Lekki toll gate plaza. But some members of di panel say dem disagree with di panel decision to reopen Lekki Toll Gate. [Lekki Concession Company] Wetin happun for di Panel hearing on 6 February ontop Lagos Lekki toll gate plaza mata? Justice Okuwobi wey bin di chairman of di panel sit with four oda members of di panel to listened to arguments for and against di application wey lawyer to LCC Ltd, Demola Seriki bring come for di re-opening of dia facility. Dis na di number 4th time di Lekki Concession Company [LCC] dey make dis application for reopening of di toll gate. LCC lawyer argue and ask di panel to allow di company take possession of di toll gate plaza for di purpose of torch-lighting di damages so dat dem go fit make insurance claims wey di company need to fit repairs di toll gate and e say dis go last about two months. Di oda four members wey sit with Justice Okuwobi to hear LCC application na; Segun Awosanya (AKA Segalink), Oluwatoyin Odusanya (wey be Director, Citizen's Right), DIG Taiwo Lakanu ( wey dey represent di police) and Lucas Koyejo (from di National Human Rights Commission). Immediately afta di panel rule in favour of LCC, one Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa waka enta di room with di oda three members of di panel, Patience Udoh (wey dey represent civil society), Rinuola Oduola and Temitope Majekodunmi (wey dey represent di youths). And dey all say dem no dey in support of LCC to re-take ova and reopening di Lekki toll plaza. Venue for the Judicial Panel na: Lagos Court of Arbitration. 1A, Remi Olowude Street, 2nd Roundabout, Lekki - Epe Expressway, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos. [Lekki Concession Company] - How Temi react Temitope Majekodunmi wey dey represent di youths, say dis ruling no dey in anyway reflect di true decision of di entire Panelist. [Lekki Concession Company] - How Rinu react While Rinuola Oduola wey dey also represent di youths say she disagree with di decision because LCC neva fit still dey able to provide access to dia CCTV servers for di forensic expert employed by di panel to authenticate di footage they submitted. Rinu say members of di panel wey disagree dey of di view say di investigations into di Lekki Toll Gate incidence just begin, and so di Lekki Toll Gate suppose remain closed until full investigations don dey concluded by di Panel. "Also di ruling dat Lekki Toll Gate should be reopen cannot hold, dem no form a quorum as e be say di youth representatives dey absent. E also dey important to note say 5 of 9 no fit orm a proper quorum." "E also dey good to note say di ruling no include our different opinions as members of di panel. Dis stand is also taken by Ebun Adegboruwa SAN and Ms. Patience Udoh, members of di Civil society group." "Five oda members of di panel get di view say make dem allow di Toll Gate to reopen. LCC get questions to answer. We remain committed to get justice." [Lekki Concession Company] - Segalink reaction Meanwhile Human right activist, Segun Awosanya AKA Segalink don tok say nothing dey wrong to allow di Lekki toll gate plaza owners, Lekki Concession Company (LCC) to go back to site. Oga Awosanya wey also be member of di Panel on Restitution tell BBC Pidgin say People wey dey kick against LCC take over of Lekki Toll Gate get grudge and dey bias. "There are pipo on di panel wey actually get grudge with LCC and dem want use di panel to achieve dia aim. we no go allow oursef to drag enta dat kind of mud." "Why would anyone want to use injustice to get justice, why would anyone want to use prejudice to destroy di work of di panel." "Tell me how in any way di return of LCC go stop di investigation." Oga Awosanya AKA Segalink say no be im be di judge of di panel, nor di only one on di panel. "If dem no get di kind of integrity to take dia personal interest from di mata and allow justice to reign for those wey genuinely need am, for those wey dey badly affected alias vulnerable ones wey dey seek justice, then dat na injustice on its own." "Wetin dey wrong in granting access to LCC to go take stock of damage and get dia insurance company to access how much dem need to payback to get repair so dat pipo can return back to work?" "Di pipo wey dey for LCC na Nigerians like you and me and dem no get job since 20th of October with no end in sight." "Wen we know say we don finish with di forensic investigation and we get nothing to do on dat site, then why do we shut it down? just to prove dat we get power? Just to prove dat we can do an undo because we hate LCC? just to prove dat we can presume LCC guilty until proven innocent?" E add say e dey work based on justice and based on equity. Lagos Lekki toll gate plaza EndSARS shootings - Background Dis panel hearing dey come as some states for Nigeria record violence and looting of public and private business afta di Lekki toll gate incident for Lagos wia army shoot unarmed #EndSARS protesters. Dis investigative body wey dem set up na to look into reports of abuse by former Special Anti-Robbery Squad aka SARS. Di police unit dey face accuse of plenty human rights violations. Di Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for victims of police brutality and other related matters begin public hearing on Tuesday 27 October, 2020. Di initial plan for di wey dem set up na to investigate historical abuse by SARS. But Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announce on Friday say dem expand to include 20 October, 2020 shooting. Members of di panel include Segun Awosanya, Lucas Koyejo, Esq, Taiwo Lanu, wey be retired Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Patience Udoh, Doris Okuwobi wey be retired justice of Nigerian judiciary, Ebun Adegboruwa, SAN, Oduala Balatito Olorunrinu, Majekodunmi Temitope Oluwaseun and Oluwatoyin Odusanya. Everi state for Nigeria don launch dia own own judicial panel of inquiry, afta weeks of protest wey call for end to police brutality.