By Romanus Okoye, Lagos
The Chair of Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters, Justice Doris Okuwobi (retd), has criticised the police for delaying proceedings of the panel.
Okuwobi said that since the panel started sitting over a month ago, the police have been given excuses and asking for frivolous adjournments. The retired judge said that is what obtains in criminal cases in the courts that make cases last many years.
The Chair said that if that is allowed, the panel would not be able to attend to the 210 petitions already before them within the six months given to them to do their job.
She made the remarks during the cross-examination of an alleged victim of SARS, Ndukwe Ekekwe, who alleged that he was pushed from a two-storey building, an incident which broke his limbs and caused him to become paralyzed.
The police, however, explained that the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) accused by Ekekwe had since been transferred to Enugu State and there are protocols before approval is granted for a police officer to leave his duty post to another command.
During the cross-examination, Ekekwe, who was visibly agitated, denied having knowledge of any search warrant, adding that what the police did was not searching for his shop but carried away all his telephone accessories.
The matter was adjourned till December 8 for continuation of trial.
