While the Lagos government prepares its white paper on the just submitted panel report on ENDSARS violence in Lagos, the leaked version of the report has been generating controversies.
While many, including the UN, Amnesty, the US, local activists, and media have hailed the findings that insisted there was a massacre at the Lekki toll gate, others, including a panelist and government lawyers who represented the state have discredited the leaked report.
Abiodun Owonikoko, SAN, who represented the stae said about 40 discrepancies have been identified in the report.
Owonikoko, who spoke on Arise TV on Thursday, said people should not hastily hail the panel’s report until the government’s decision on it, which comes by way of White Paper.
“As a citizen now and not as a lawyer to Lagos State, I’m interested in trying to clarify matters, because you have invited me and I’m telling you that if you have to subject this report to judicial screening, these are the things that will come up and people must not be in a haste to begin to hail a report that is mute until we know the final outcome,” he said.
“I have read the report. Since you now confirm that it is supposed to be authentic, I have identified almost 40 discrepancies, very material discrepancies in that report, including awarding damages to people, who are claimed to have died, but who never died; who have even come out to say they did not die.
“Including awarding damages to somebody they claimed died, but who actually was a witness to testify as to his brother’s death not even at the Lekki tollgate; does that not show you that there was a thorough job done? How do you make that kind of serious mistake to award millions and millions to somebody claiming that he died when actually he was even a witness before you?
“In the report itself, you will find where the witness was there and they recorded his evidence, and the list they posted, they said he died and awarded him N15m; what kind of report is that? Any report that has that fundamental error will crash.”
He emphasized that the recommendations and resolutions in the panel’s report were not meant for the public, stressing that only the state government’s review and final decision on it ought to be available for public consumption.
However, human rights lawyer, Mr Ebun Olu-Adegboruwa, said some people suspected to be officials of the Lagos State Government were launching attacks on members of the Lagos panel.
Adegboruwa, who was a member of the panel, said this in a statement on Thursday titled, ‘#EndSARS Panel Members are Being Unfairly Persecuted’.
Adegboruwa said since the submission of the report to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on November 15, 2021, “Members of the panel have become subject of vicious attacks by those suspected to be agents of the government.”
He said all manners of allegations had been made against the panel members, some of whom had been called unprintable names.
The activist stated, “I can confirm that no member of the panel lobbied to be appointed into the panel. As a matter of fact, in my own case, His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, appealed to me to accept my appointment, which I saw as a call to national service. The primary reason the governor gave to me then was that he wanted men and women of integrity, independent and not subject to manipulation, to be on the panel.
“Just today, my attention has been drawn to an interview by a senior counsel to the Lagos State Government to the effect that panel members collected bribes in the course of the assignment. It is unfair, ungodly and least expected of the government and its lawyers.
“The Lagos State Government asked for two weeks to enable it to release a White Paper on the report submitted to it by the panel. And we have been waiting, but it would seem that the Lagos State Government has now unleashed mindless propaganda upon panel members whilst at the same time asking for restraint from the general public.”