By Aluta News
Oct. 20, 2021
The Federal Government says 11 states out of 28 states have submitted their respective final reports of Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the 2020 EndSARS protest and its aftermaths.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at a media briefing on the first anniversary of the EndSARS protest and the purported Lekki Toll Gate massacre.
Mohammed said the states which had submitted the report to the National Economic Council (NEC) were Abia, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, and Rivers.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports NEC is the nation’s highest economic decision making body presides over by the Vice President with all the state governors and selected Ministers in attendance.
NAN also reports that the judicial panels set up by the states were to make inquiry into allegations of human rights violations against members of Nigeria Police Force and other Security Agencies.
The minister said while the Governors of other states had indicated that their reports would be submitted soon, modalities had been established for the settlement of all monetary compensations awarded by the panels.
“Already, as resolved by NEC, a number of states have set up Victims Compensation Funds, from which several victims have already received payments of sums awarded to them by the panels.
“Council directed State Governors to immediately forward copies of final reports of the panels to their Attorneys-General for prompt arraignment and prosecution of all indicted persons.
“Where incidents in the reports relate to matters of discipline, in addition to prosecution,
“NEC urged the Nigeria Police Force to take disciplinary action on the affected officers in line with the provisions of the Police Act 2020,” he said.
The minister said NEC also called on the leadership of the security agencies to ensure that persons recruited into arms-bearing security agencies undergo psychiatric evaluations and drug tests before enlistment and periodically after enlistment.
He said the step would ensure that the personnel are psychologically fit to carry live weapons and to identify behavioural tendencies that may require psycho-social interventions.
The minister said NEC recommended sustained improved funding and budgetary allocation to the Nigeria Police Force and other securities agencies,
He said the Council also recommended lifting of the ban on recruitment of police officers, and urged the Federal Government to give priority to the general welfare of police officers and personnel of other security agencies.
Mohammed said NEC also recommended the the Police and other security agencies should deploy cutting-edge technology in the fight against crimes.
NAN