#EndSARS: Bayelsa Judicial panel receives 35 petitions amidst delayed take-off

The judicial panel of inquiry set up by the State Government to investigate police brutality and allegations of human rights abuses in the state has received over thirty-five petitions amidst concern over its delayed take-off due to paucity of funds.

The Judicial Panel of Inquiry headed by Rtd. Justice Y.B.Ogola and Barr. Alaowei Opokuma as Secretary, was set up in October to equally set up the special security and human rights committee to supervise and monitor the new tactical unit of the Police strategic weapon and tactical squad in the state.

NAIJA LIVE TV investigations revealed that the delayed sitting is caused by the non-release of fund by the State Government and the poor submission from the Human Rights and Civil Society groups may have been caused by mistrusts over trust in the handling of cases of police brutality in the state.

It was gathered that the Zonal office of the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC) are undecided whether to submit about 20 petitions before the Panel in Bayelsa due to the poor signal on take-off. Most of the petitions received by the panel are not only against police personnel that served in the Special Anti-Robbery Squad but from other units of the State Police Command.

Government sources told leadership that though the Judicial panel has been running without a budget from the state government and at the stage of calling for submission of petitions before commencement of sittings, the issue of a huge slash in the budget proposal to N20million despite its non-release is responsible for the delay.
Contacted on the development, the sectary of the Panel, Barr. Olaowei Opokuma, denied knowledge on the issue of non-release of fund for the take-off of the panel sitting, declaring that nothing is hampering the judicial panel sitting in the state.

According to Opokuma, the Judicial panel in the state has a schedule of activities and that they are at the stage of receiving petitions in line with the ongoing radio announcement in the state,” I can’t give you the exact figure on numbers of petitions before the panel. As am talking to you, am just receiving another one.”

He however confirmed that all the petitions received are not only against the police personnel that served with SARS in the state, “but also against some of the personnel that served in other units of the police command.”

It would recalled that the State Governor, Douye Diri, while setting up the judicial panel and security and human rights committee, said it was constituted in response to the yearnings of the youths as articulated in the demands of the EndSARS protesters.

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