#EndSARS: Nigerian Police withdraws petition to end ongoing judicial panel

The Nigeria Police Force has Friday, applied to withdraw its petition that requested a court order to dismantle the  Independent Judicial panel of Inquiry probing allegations of police brutality and human rights violations by the Police and defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

The Force had on Thursday filed a petition to the Federal High court in Abuja seeking to suspend and end all independent Judicial panel of Inquiry but the Police in a statement feign ignorance to the suit..

The petition with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020, submitted through Police lawyers led by Mr O. M. Atoyebi (SAN) said that the state’s panel do not have the constitutional power to investigate or give judgement to the police force.

The suit faced criticism from Nigerians who took to social media to express their disapproval

However, through a statement released by the Nigeria Police late Thursday evening, the Inspector General condemned the suit and said it is investigating the role of the Legal Section of the police.

The statement said that the Force Legal team has been queried and may face further sanctions if found guilty of dereliction of duty.

The State Investigative Judicial panel of Inquiry were created following the October EndSARS protests where thousands of Nigerian youths marched to demand an end to police brutality and seek the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad unit of the police.

The Federal government directed state governments to look into these numerous allegations of police brutality and the human right violation complaints.

This panel of inquiry would follow less strict rules than that of the court and at the end of the sitting, they would make judgements and submit their recommendations to the state government.

Following the directive, the Lagos State government, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Anambra, Rivers, Ogun, Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Adamawa, Taraba, Nasarawa, Enugu Ebonyi, Benue and Cross River State government all set up a panel of inquiry to look into the allegations of violations.