Amid the nationwide protests targeted at calling for putting an end to police brutality in Nigeria, the National Human Rights Commission, NHRC has constituted an 11-man panel to look into allegations of human rights violations levelled against officers of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.
It was gathered that the panel, chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge Suleiman Galadima, will hear petitions, complaints and memoranda from Nigerians across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.
The panel has also been empowered to refer cases of human rights violations by SARS officers to the Attorney General of the Federation, or that of a state for prosecution. In a tweet, the NHRC said all petitions, complaints, and memoranda must reach the Commission, which is the Secretariat of the Panel on or before October 31, 2020.
According to NHRC Secretary, Tony Ojukwu, members of the panel are Abdulrahaman Yakubu, Yemi Ademolakun, Chioma Chuka, Ayo Atsenuwa, Tijani Mohammed, Dr Uju Agomoh, DIG Ibrahim Lamorde, Garba Tetengi (SAN), Feyikemi Abudu, John Aikpokpo Martins and Hilary Ogbonna, who will serve as its secretary.
You will recall that the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu has on Sunday, October 11 announced the immediate dissolution of SARS given the various allegations of extrajudicial killings levelled against some SARS operatives.