The National Human Rights Commission has expressed concern over the refusal of state governments to pay compensation to victims of police brutality during the 2020 #EndSARS protest.
In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, the Executive Secretary of NHRC, Tony Ojukwu (SAN), advised the states to liaise with the Federal Government to settle the issue.
On the backdrop of the report of the #EndSARS panel submitted to the government, he said, “Every state is on its own, every state governor has the mandate to dictate things what happen in their state. Why won’t they pay them compensation? Why are they waiting for the Federal Government?
“Even if the police is a federal institution, the police was serving the state government and they committed those violations against the states which the governor is supposed to protect. So, why will the governors wait for the Federal Government to pay compensation to indigenes of the state whose rights have been violated?
“It’s within the limit of the Police Service Commission and the Inspector-General of Police to speak with them. Violations were carried out, and the process of protecting the very law and order in the state is under the purview of the state governor. What states have done after investigation of the SARS component was that they sent everything to the National Economic Council, which is headed by the Vice President (Yemi Osinbajo).
“But this is something the state and the Federal Government should sort out. Some states have paid compensation.”
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