Lagos Panel Warns Police Against Delaying Proceedings

The Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for Victims of SARS related abuses has said that it will no longer condone the Police’s wasting of time by stalling on calling witnesses, especially officers who have been accused of being involved in various cases of abuses, to appear before it.

Chairperson of the Panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi issued the warning on Tuesday after counsels to the police, Emmanuel Eze and Joseph Eboseremen, sought adjournments in two petitions heard by the panel.

The police counsel had explained that with the disbandment of SARS, it had become difficult to get the police officers accused of committing the alleged human rights abuses against the petitioner.

In her reaction, Justice Okuwobi frowned at the move to waste the time of the court by the police.

She said, “The panel is not ready to deal with your intent, the panel is ready to go on. We started hearing this petition on November 3 and this is an assignment we have for six months and till date, we have not delivered one judgment because of the excuses and requests for an adjournment from the police.

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“We cannot continue at this pace, in as much as the panel is out to do justice, at the moment, we have 210 petitions and if we keep on adjourning, we will be here for another two years and we have not delivered a judgment and that is not the plan of the panel.

“You either conclude your case today or we close it, and we know we are done with this one. We have given you enough time with respect to this time.”

“Justice will be sacrificed on the altar of speed because the panel has an assignment and a defined date of six months.

“For the first three weeks of this panel, we could not move because you were absent. Once you are here with us, the least you can do is make your cases move expeditiously. We cannot continue to wait like this,” the panel chairman added.

After further submissions by the police counsel on the difficulties of getting the officers involved, the panel, in the interest of justice, decided to grant a final adjournment to December 8.