#EndSARS: Lagos Panel Issues Bench Warrant On LCDA Chairman

• The proceeding makes it the third time, that Hon Ajala would be ignoring the summons of the panel

The Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for victims of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has issued a bench warrant to summon Hon. Rasaq Ajala, the Chairman of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area.

Chairman of the panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi issued the warrant on Tuesday at the instance of the police counsel, Cyril Ajiofor who told the panel that the Chairman had again failed to honour the summons issued to him to appear.

Read also: Lagos Panel Awards ₦13.5m Compensation To Three Victims Of Police Brutality

The proceeding makes it the third time, that Hon Ajala would be ignoring the summons of the panel.

At previous sittings, the panel had summoned the LCDA Chairman to assist with information in the petition filed by the family of late Adeshina Adeosun against the Nigerian police.

Adeosun, a taxi driver was allegedly shot by officers of the Nigerian police force, Olosan division on October 20, 2020.

His family claims that his body is still with the police. They are therefore seeking the help of the panel to retrieve the body. The family is also seeking compensation for his extra judicial killing.

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The police are however challenging the facts as put forward by the family. Through their counsel, Cyril Ajiofor, they had asked the panel to summon the Chairman of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye LCDA who they say is seized of the incident and has personal information that can assist the panel in its fact finding.

But the chairman has consistently failed to appear. Before the bench warrant was issued, the police counsel had first made an application asking the panel to nominate a few lawyers to meet with the Chairman ‘in camera’ to get the necessary information from him, a move which the petitioners counsel and the panel strongly opposed.