Police ask Cross River Judicial Panel of Inquiry to stop sitting

The Police in Cross River State has asked the Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Police Brutality and Restitution, sitting in Calabar, the Cross River state capital to stop the hearing of all matters pending the determination of the suit it filed at the Federal High Court Abuja.

Informing the panel, D.T. Tarhemba, counsel to the police and the O/C Legal, Police headquarters, Diamond Hill asked the panel to adjourn sine die till the determination of the suit.

“The suit with suit number FHC/ABJ/SC/1492/2020 was filed by the respondent at the Federal High Court, Abuja against the 36 chairmen of the judicial panel of inquiry and all the 36 attorney generals,” he said.

Objecting, Dr. Paul Ebiala, Chairman of the NBA, Calabar said the police lawyer was just speculating as there is no evidence before the panel that any suit of that matter has been filed.

“My objection is predicated on the fact that our law doesn’t act on speculations.The application of the respondent is speculative, this is so because, by his own admission, this panel has not been served with any process.”

on his part, Attah Ochinke, former attorney general of Cross River State, and counsel to one of the petitioners said that the police still has a long way to halting the sitting of the panel. Ochinke added that the filling of a suit cannot stop the sitting of the panel unless it is accompanied by a notice of stay of proceeding.

Delivering his ruling on the police application, Justice Micheal Edem (Rtd) agreed with counsel to the petitioners that informing the panel of filing a case at the court does not stop the panel from doing their job.

Justice Edem added that the panel will continue it work until it receives an order from the court to do otherwise.

The panel heard one petition and on the request of the police counsel adjourned to December 10th for continuation of hearing.