Nigeria Police beg court to ban EndSARS panels nationwide
The police have dragged Nigerian governors to court for setting up panels to probe allegations of police brutality.
Recall that states set up judicial panels of inquiry to probe the allegations against the now-dismantled Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a former police unit that is being accused of brutality, extortion, illegal arrests, extra-judicial killings and other crimes.
The panels, however, lack any power in law to prosecute indicted police officers. They can only make recommendations to the government.
The panels were part of the demands of EndSARS protesters who matched against law enforcement brutality and for comprehensive police reform.
The police has now filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking to stop the judicial panels of inquiry in several states.
The suit marked “FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020” calls on 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 focussing on police impunity.
According to the force, the action of the governors “is unconstitutional, illegal, null and void, and of no effect whatsoever”.
