Engr Abdullahi Sule,Governor of Nasarawa State.
By Collins Sunday – Lafia
The Nasarawa state governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule has inaugurated a Commission of Enquiry to investigate Police brutality and to ensure that justice is served to erring officers of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad which was recently disbanded by the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammad Adamu.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony which took place on Wednesday at the Government House, Lafia, Governor Sule explained that as a responsible and responsive Government, it became necessary to arrest the situation to avoid its degeneration into a state of anarchy.
“You would recall that in the last few weeks, our dear country was engulfed with series of protests seemingly against the activities of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian Police Force with the attendant security implication.
“As a responsible and responsive Government, it became necessary to arrest the situation to avoid its degeneration into a state of anarchy and chaos. Accordingly, the National Economic Council meeting was convened on Thursday, 15th October, 2020 under the chairmanship of His Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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“The resolution arrived at the meeting obliged State Governors to constitute Commission of Enquiry pursuant to Commission of Enquiry Act CAP 25 of Northern Nigeria with the view to carryout in-depth investigation into the activities of the Police Force towards stemming the escalation of the situation”, he said.
Governor Sule said that considering the issue at stake, eminent jurist and time-tested security and public administrators, among others were carefully selected to serve in the Commission to ensure broad-based appraisal of the situation.
“I congratulate you, Mr. Chairman and Members of this Commission for earning the confidence and trust of the Government and people of Nasarawa State. I also thank you for accepting to serve the State in this capacity”.
The commission is to receive and investigate complaints of Police brutality or related extra judicial killing; To evaluate evidence and draw conclusions on validity of complaints; and to recommend compensation and other remedial measures.
Governor Abdullahi Sule gave the commission six months from the date of its inaugural sitting to complete its assignment noting that, with the calibre of members of the Commission, he was convinced that the Government and people of Nasarawa State and, indeed, the Nigerian Police Force will benefit immensely from their intellectual and professional wisdom in addressing the issue at hand.
In a bid to ensure that the demands of the EndSARS protesters are met, Governor Sule went further to organize one-day stakeholders dialogue on the activities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
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Addressing the Stakeholders, Sule explained that Nigeria is faced with challenges occasioned by the activities of the ENDSARS protesters against the activities of SARS which have continued to pose security threats with attendant consequences on human lives and property, as well as the socio-economic development of the State and the country at large, hence the need for all hands to be on deck to ensure that their demands are met.
The governor said that the youths presented a 5-point demand to the Nasarawa state government when they came to protest at the Government House and they include; the immediate release of all arrested protesters; justice for all deceased victims of Police brutality and appropriate compensation; setting-up an independent body to oversee the investigation and prosecution of all records of Police misconduct (within 10 days); in line with the new Police Act psychological evaluation and retraining (to be confirmed by an independent body) of all disbanded SARS officers before they can be redeployed; and that the Federal Government should Increase Police salary so that they are adequately compensated for protecting lives and property of citizens.
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to appraise the present security challenges with a view to finding a lasting and sustainable peace, as well as fashion out modalities towards addressing the 5-Points Demand raised by the ENDSARS protesters. In an attempt to address the demands of the protesters, Government had in compliance with the Presidential directive, constituted a Judicial Commission of Enquiry with a clear mandate as reflected in their terms of reference.
“This gathering will further give us an opportunity to carefully look into the plights of the protesters as it relates to our State. On our part as a State, this Administration have made deliberate efforts towards the empowerment of our youths and women in line with our policies and programmes geared towards wealth creation, employment generation and poverty alleviation. Government has completed the Lafia Institute of Technical Education, aimed at imparting necessary vocational skills to our youth and women, including those who could not have the privilege of formal or pursuing higher education.
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“In addition, this Administration has attracted investors, like the Dangote Group of Company, Azman Rice Ltd, Flour Mills, Olam Farms, among others into the State. These companies will serve as employment hubs for our teeming youth in the State. We also sustained the Nasarawa Youth Empowerment Scheme in an effort to reduce redundancy among our youths. Government is, however, determined to provide all the necessary support to make our youth productive and fully prepared to take over the governance of this great nation”, the governor said.
Governor Sule thanked youth leaders in the state for their various roles in ensuring that the youths did not take the Law into their hands. He urge them to continue to support the efforts of government in ensuring that they get the dividends of democracy while calling on the people to always embrace peace and live in harmony with other residence of the state as there cannot be any meaningful development in an atmosphere of rancour.
Those in attendance at the event are; the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Dr. Emmanuel Akebe, the Right Hon. Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Balarabe, Hon. Chief Judge of Nasarawa State; Justice Suleiman Dikko, senators and members of the House of Representatives among other top government functionaries.
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