THE Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS -Related Abuses has issued a summon on Adamu Muhammed, inspector-general of police, over an alleged seizure of 25 acres of land.
The panel, chaired by Doris Okuwobi, issued the summon on Tuesday following the request of a petitioner who said his farmland was seized by the police in 2013.
Adewale Adewuyi, the petitioner who was represented by his legal counsel, Debo Adeleke, said the police took over his farmland located at Age-Mowo near Badagry on December 17, 2013, and destroyed it.
Adeleke noted that the destruction of the petitioner’s farmland led to the deterioration of his health, adding that he now travelled on a stretcher and could no longer afford to feed himself after the incident.
After taking over the petitioner’s farmland, the lawyer said the police failed to comply with an order of the Lagos Federal High Court in 2017 that directed them to release the farmland and pay damages for physical assault.
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The counsel demanded that the IGP be summoned before the panel so as to direct the state commissioner of police to release the farmland to the petitioner.
“That order is needed, although I am not supposed to say this in a fact-finding panel. We need to summon the IGP so that he can tell the commissioner of police to release this land to us,” Adeleke said.
“They are not using the land, it is just there. Everybody fears the Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution. We will be grateful if my lord will issue the order, ” Adeleke stated.
Consequently, Cyril Ejiofor, counsel representing the Nigeria Police, in the case, requested that two weeks be given to get the issue resolved.
Responding to the plea of both counsels, Okuwobi ordered that all parties mentioned in the petition, including the IGP, be served the summons. Okuwibi further adjourned the petition till march 30.
Recall that the panel was set up in October 2020 to investigate cases of police brutality, especially by officers of the defunct Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), who have been accused across many Nigerian states of brutalising and killing innocent citizens.
Lukman Abolade is an Investigative reporter with The ICIR. Reach out to him via [email protected], on twitter @AboladeLAA and FB @Correction94