Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), a human rights activist and lawyer, has stated that the Nigerian government and its federating units cannot simultaneously accept and reject the panels established to investigate police brutality and other security agencies in the nation.
The Tribunals were established on the command of the Nigerian government through the National Economic Council, according to Adegboruwa, a member of the Lagos State Government Judicial Panel on restitution for victims of SARS-related abuses and other problems (NEC).
As a result, he stated that while it may seem surprising that the country has not encountered such a thing, the government must ensure that the institutions seeking justice function properly.
This was stated by Adegboruwa in a statement titled "The Legality of #EndSARS Panels" that was made accessible to Source on Monday.
Remember that pro-government elements attacked the senior lawyer for following the report of the tribunal that indicted military officers for the slaughter at the Lekki Toll Gate in October last year.
According to Adegboruwa, "The federal government has recently downplayed the concept that all Judicial Panels of Inquiry established by various states across the Federation, particularly in Lagos State, are unconstitutional.
"It has never been part of our legal system in Nigeria for a plaintiff who first sought the court to turn around and contest the court's validity or jurisdiction.
"The National Economic Council, at the request of the Federal Government, established the #EndSARS Panels. In the instance of the Lagos Panel, the federal government freely committed itself to the Panel's jurisdiction through the Nigerian Army, calling witnesses, submitting papers, and making extensive speeches.
"At the same time, a party cannot approbate and reprobate. As a result, a party that began a procedure and freely and actively engaged in that process cannot later allege illegality or lack of jurisdiction because the conclusion was negative. To make our institutions work, we must reinforce them.
"While we all wait for the Lagos State Administration's White Paper, it is critical for the government to establish public trust in all of its transactions and statements. Nigeria, may God bless you."
