The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has commended the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on brutality, human rights violations and alleged extra-judicial killings by the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigeria Police Force, for their commitment and dedication to duty, as he swore in Dr. Usiosefe Anthony Ereyimwan as member of the panel.
Obaseki, while swearing in the panel’s new member at the Government House, Benin City, hailed the panel for carrying out its assignment with the professionalism and urgency it deserves.
The governor had in October inaugurated the Judicial Panel of Inquiry to look into the activities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and the circumstances surrounding #EndSARS protests in the state and investigate cases of human rights abuses by operatives of the defunct unit.
According to Obaseki, “I want to commend the panel for the work done till date and the thoroughness with which they have pursued the assignment given.”
Charging the newly inaugurated member on the duties ahead, the governor noted: “We urge you and members of the panel to do justice to the task given to you. We had inaugurated the main body weeks ago and your swearing in is to enable you join the panel and contribute your quota.”
“We believe in the experience and background of members of the panel and hope that they would get to the bottom of the injustice melted out to our citizens on the SARS structure of the police,” he added.
Obaseki urged members of the public to direct all correspondence to the panel to enable it to have a holistic report and respond effectively.
He said: “As an administration, we do not have anything against the #EndSARS movement; we align with some of the issues that the movement is protesting against. We condemn the fact that the legitimate process was hijacked by hoodlums, which degenerated to the destruction across the country.
“Our responsibility is to fix what is broken in the country and as an administration, we will support any constructive suggestion and idea that will help us as a country to move forward.”
