States urged by NHRC to compensate victims of police brutality

Ojukwu urged state governments to prioritize payment to victims instead of waiting for the Federal Government to provide funds before doing so.

“As a matter of urgency, state governments should establish Human Rights Committees that will address human rights violations to prevent future incidents that could trigger another #ENDSARS protest and result in widespread human rights violations,” said Ojukwu.

The Judicial Review Report examined 29 states that set up investigative panels of inquiry, with a focus on Anambra, FCT, Lagos, and Oyo.

Ikemesit Effiong, one of the researchers who spoke via Zoom, observed that most state panels lacked independence and transparency.

Effiong also noted that some panels faced insufficient funding, while others had to suspend their proceedings, which affected the efficiency of the hearings.

Chinonye Obiagwu, the Chairman of the Human Rights Institute of the Nigerian Bar Association and a panelist at the event, revealed that vulnerable people, such as the indigent and women, constituted a significant portion of the petitioners who brought cases to the panel of inquiry.

He lamented the lack of political will by the government to address the petitions, a situation that he said further emboldened the police.

Regarding the way forward, Lateef Fagbemi, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, stated that the government has already established a framework to protect the rights of citizens.

Fagbemi, represented by Felix Ota-Okojie, the Secretary of the Federal Justice Sector Reform Coordinating Committee, called on all stakeholders to participate in implementing the legal framework and existing laws of the country that safeguard the rights of citizens.