By Arogbonlo Israel

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State released a White Paper on the report of the panel on Police brutality and Lekki Tollgate killings.

Of the 32 recommendations made by the panel, the government accepted only 11.

Below are the panel’s 32 recommendations and the state government’s response:

1: Improve police welfare

Lagos State: The recommendation will be forwarded to the Federal Government, FG, and other necessary agencies.”

READ ALSO: EndSARS: Lagos overrules panel report

2: Disciplinary action on officers who refused to honour the summons of the panel
Lagos State: Will forward this recommendation to FG, National Economic Council, NEC, and Nigerian Army.

3: Disciplinary action against officers (excluding Major General Omata) that were deployed to the Lekki Tollgate, LTG, on October 20, 2020.
Lagos State: Nigerian Army has its own disciplinary procedures and processes as set down by law, over which Lagos State Government has no control.

4: Granting bail to all those arrested during the course of the protest.
Lagos State: The issue of grant of bail is a matter within the exclusive preserve of the Judiciary.

5: Stopping Nigerian Army from intervening in internal security.
Lagos State Government quotes Section 217(2) (c) of the Constitution: “The Armed Forces may intervene to supplement insurrection and also to assist civil authorities to restore lawful order.”

6: Restraining the use of social media for spreading unverified information.
Lagos State: Agrees with this recommendation and notes the incident at LTG on 20 October, 2020 was “exacerbated by indiscriminate dissemination of unverified accounts of the events of that day.”

7: Special awards for all hospitals and personnel that treated the citizens during the protest.
Lagos State: Commends all the aforementioned, but disagreed that hospitals treated victims of gunshot wounds from LTG in the light of evidence before the JPI that only one person suffered gunshot.

8: Fulfill promise made to EndSARS protesters concerning the payment of their hospital bills.
Lagos State: We have paid all the hospitals. Commends Reddington Hospital for rendering free services.

READ ALSO: [BREAKING] #ENDSARS: Lagos govt releases White Papers, flays Judicial Panel of Inquiry reports on Lekki massacre

9: Prosecution of DPO and other policemen deployed from Maroko Police Station.
Lagos State: Even though the evidence before does not establish arbitrary indiscriminate killing of protesters at LTG, Lagos State will request the Police to further investigate the matter.

10: Improve grievance address mechanism.
Lagos State: Accepts this recommendation and will intensify effort to engage youth.

11: Engage youths proactively and regularly especially when tense situations arise.
Lagos State: Accepts this recommendation.

12: Wide publicity of curfew regulations.
Lagos State: Accepts this recommendation.

13: Reorientation and training of police and security personnel.
Lagos State: It will forward the recommendation to the FG.

14: Prompt coroner inquests and autopsies in cases of suspicious death.
Lagos State: Rejects the recommendation.

15: Guidelines and standard procedures for mortuaries.
Lagos State: Said it will improve in line with best practices.

16: Training of health officers (LASEHMU in particular).
Lagos State: Accepts the recommendation.

17: Training and retraining of security officers
Lagos State: It will forward the recommendation to the FG.

18: Preserve the integrity of the scene of incident and items of physical evidence.
Lagos State: Accepts the recommendation.

19: Rename Lekki Tollgate.
Lagos State: We will designate a park in the State and name it “Peace Park”.

20: Make October 20 of every year “Toll Free Day”.
Lagos State: Accepts the recommendation.

21: Make October 20 of every year “EndSARS Day” nationally.
Lagos State: It will forward the recommendation to the FG.

22: Federal Government to apologise to the youth for “abruptly undermining the protest with their state actors”.
Lagos State: Will forward the recommendation to the FG.

23: Bridging the gap of distrust with the youth.
Lagos State government accepts the recommendation.

24: Memorial monument for the lives lost and those injured at the Lekki Tollgate with their names inscribed it.
Lagos State: Faults the recommendation.

25: Establish a standing committee to bridge the gap between the society and the police.
Lagos State: Accepts the recommendation and promises to forward it to the FG.

26: Making the scrutiny of all disciplinary processes of Nigerian Army and police transparent and public.
Lagos State: Will forward the recommendation to the FG and National Economic Council, NEC.

27: Reinforcing the Complaint Response Unit of the police at the Federal Headquarters.
Lagos State: It will forward the recommendation to the FG and NEC.

28: Study and deploy data generated over the years on the impunity of the police across Nigeria.
Lagos State: Will forward the recommendation to the FG and NEC.

READ ALSO: Lekki Tollgate incident was a massacre — Lagos ENDSARS Panel

29: Prompt disbursement of compensation to victims of the Lekki Tollgate incident.
Lagos State: Will forward the recommendation to the FG and NEC.

30: Establish trust fund to compensate of victims of the Lekki Tollgate incident.
Lagos State: Will forward the recommendation to FG and NEC.

31: Set up standing Human Rights Committee to look into complaints made against Police and other security agencies.
Lagos State: Accepts the recommendation.

32: Consideration of all petitions filed before the panel that could not be heard due to time.
Lagos State: Accepts the recommendation.

Vanguard News Nigeria