Osun State Commissioner of Police, Wale Olokode, on Monday said one of the suspects held in connection with the death of Timothy Adegoke, a Masters student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, had confessed that son of the owner of Hiltons Hotels and Resorts, Ile-Ife, Roheem Adedoyin, arranged how the corpse was evacuated and taken to the bush.

The police boss said Roheem, who is the Managing Director of the hotel where the late Adegoke reportedly died, organised how the corpse was evacuated from the facility and buried without informing the police.

Featuring on a radio programme, ‘Frank Talk’ monitored on Rave FM, Osogbo, Olokode, however said Roheem is on the run, adding that in the course of police investigation into the matter, detectives were able to discover where the corpse was buried.

He said, “One of the suspects confessed that the MD is the son of Ramon Adedoyin, his name is Roheem Adedoyin who is now at large. He also confessed that he (Roheem) organised the corpse to be thrown into a bush. The MD along with two managers took the corpse to the bush.

“None of the staff members informed the police. It was the report of the missing person that made the anti-kidnapping team who then discovered through their meticulous investigation and traced the so-called missing person to that hotel and then traced the corpse, where it was found.”

Olokode also denied knowledge of the audio recording by Adedoyin where he pleaded his innocence while in police custody, and assured stakeholders the autopsy’s report will guide the police in their investigation.

Meanwhile, at the commencement of the autopsy at Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, the remains of Adegoke packed in a body bag was brought out of the morgue and taken out in an ambulance to Radiation Room, where x-ray was done.

The body was later returned to the mortuary around 12.55pm, as a team of pathologists commenced the post-mortem, after they have analysed the clothing that the deceased wore last before his death.

The four hour-procedure that was witnessed by representatives of all the parties in the matter, according to Naim Adekilekun, the counsel to the family of the late Adegoke, started around 2.30pm and ended by 6.30pm.

Meanwhile, family members of late Adegoke have asked the police to explain their role in the reported preferential treatment being accorded owner of the hotels, Ramon Adedoyin, in their custody.

Adekilekun, who made the demand while addressing journalists at the premises of the Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, on Monday, said the police must assure all concerned that justice would be served.

He also demanded an inquiry into the circumstances that led to the production of an audio by Adedoyin, where he denied involvement in the death of the late Adegoke, despite claim by the police that he was in their custody.

His statement read in parts, “The police need to clear the air on the reported preferential and VIP treatments being accorded the owner of the hotel, Rahman Adedoyin.

“This is already in the public domain and for the sake of fairness and an assurance of justice, the police need to speak up on this.

“We have also watched with dismay, the various attempts to confuse members of the public with endless statements bordering on the ‘innocence’ of the chairman and founder of the hotel, Rahman Adedoyin.

“We would rather prefer that all the suspects await their days in court to prove their innocence instead of the resort to the use of the media to appeal to sentiments.”

Punch

.. we have anticipated such attacks, but we won't take it lying low

..attacked protester, Miss Ibe now in stable condition, lawyer

Hoodlums have attacked and macheted an EndSARS protester, Kamsiyochukwu Ibe, who testified before a Lagos judicial panel on the alleged role of the military and the police in the Lekki shooting of October 20, 2021, one of the panel members, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), has said.

The senior advocate also raised the alarm over the alleged threat to his life since the submission of the report of the Lagos EndSARS panel that at least nine persons were confirmed dead at the Lekki toll plaza when soldiers stormed the tollgate to disperse EndSARS protesters on October 20, 2020.

Adegboruwa called on Nigerians to hold the government responsible if anything unfortunate happens to himself and other panel members and testifiers.

Adegboruwa, who represented the civil society organisation on the panel, said members of the panel are being unfairly persecuted by some state government officials.

He wrote, “Since the submission of the report of the Lagos #EndSARS Panel, there have been lots of threats and attacks, by those suspected to be agents of the government, upon me, especially in the media.

“I have not committed any crime beyond joining other eminent Nigerians with unblemished integrity, to accept the nomination of government on behalf of my constituency, the Nigerian Bar Association and the civil society and the indeed the masses of our people, for a national assignment.

“Two prominent lawyers of the government have openly incited opinions against me on national television, with mindless accusations.

I have however refused to be intimidated or bend to the tactics of government to be silenced.

“I urge the good people of Nigeria, my professional colleagues in the Nigerian Bar Association, my comrades in the civil rights movement and the people of Nigeria, to hold government responsible should anything happen to me.

“Just last night, one of the prominent EndSARS protesters who testified before the Panel, Miss Kamsiyochukwu Ibe, was attacked and dealt serious machete blows, in what was clearly an attempted murder, as reported by her counsel, with very disturbing photos.

“I heeded the clarion call to serve by the government with the honest believe that the Panel was meant to say the truth and nothing but the truth, which is what we have done. It is left for government and Nigerians to do the needful with the report of the Panel.”

Meanwhile, a lawyer in the legal team of some EndSARS protesters, Ayo Ademiluyi has said that Miss Kamsiyochukwu Ibe who was reportedly attacked on Monday is in stable condition in an undisclosed hospital in Lagos.

Ademiluyi is a co-counsel in the legal team of some of the  EndSARS protesters lead by former Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ikeja Branch Chairman, Mr Adesina Ogunlana.

Ademiluyi said they had anticipated the attack on some of their clients but that they will not take it lying low.

He said: “Miss Ibe is fine and in stable conditon. We actual forsaw this and consider it as the first phase of this kind of attacks. We know that the Nigerian state will come after us but we will not take it lying down.

“We know from account of history, the position of oppressors and tyrants and we are prepare for this kind of attacks. We know that is an attempt to suppress our movement but we wont take it lying low.” 

A student, Razak Bakare, has been allegedly shot dead by gunmen who invaded the Michael Otedola College of Primary Health Education, in the Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State.

Few hours after the undergraduate was killed, a lecturer, Ahmed Saheed, lost his life when yet-to-be-identified armed men allegedly attacked him around Poka town in Epe.

The attacks which occurred within the space of 48 hours, created panic that affected academic activities on the campus.

A security guard in the institution, who spoke to one of our correspondents on the condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident.

“The student was killed on campus on Wednesday and the lecturer was shot dead on Friday. we have informed the police,” he said.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Ajisebutu, has yet to respond to calls made to his mobile number as of the time this report was filed.

Punch

National Youth Service Corps says it generated N511m operating surplus to be paid into the Federation Account for 2021.

Director-General of the NYSC, Ibrahim Shuaibu, a brigadier general, said this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Friday.

According to him, the amount came about through its revenue-generating ventures.

He said the figure was N231m higher than the sum remitted by the NYSC in 2020.

Ibrahim said the N511m operating surplus of the NYSC this year was generated from five major sources of revenue.

The sources were the NYSC garment factories in Anambra and Niger states as well as the bakery and table water factories in Abuja.

Other included revenue from film productions and national troupe bookings and performances.

He said, “From these ventures, we generated over N280m in 2020, which we paid into the federation account.

“For 2021, we have generated N511m, which we will also pay to the federation account. This is our contribution to the national economy.”

The NYSC DG expressed optimism that the organisation would continue to boost its revenue generation to improve the fiscal space for national spending.

To increase revenue, Ibrahim said the NYSC would maintain its internal financial management reforms and keep tapping the potential of corps members.

Punch

A new militant group in the Niger Delta, Bayan-Men, have blown up an oil facility operated by Nigeria Agip Oil Company in the Ogba-Egbema-Nndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.

The new militant group, which blew up the oil well, OB5, (Obiavu-5) operated by the oil and gas firm, attributed its action to the firm’s alleged failure to deal directly with its host communities.

The ‘General’ of militant group, in Port Harcourt on Sunday, accused the company of divide and rule.

He said, “The only thing we want Agip to do is to deal directly with the 27 communities of Omoku, according to the Federal Government resolution.

“We don’t want Agip to be negotiating with anybody. They should deal with the communities. If they continue like this, what we have done now is small compared to what we will do. They should treat communities individually.

“We are not joking. We are not interested in killing anybody. Our interest is that they must do the right thing, otherwise we will keep blowing up their facilities. “We are giving them 24 hours to start the process of doing the right thing.”

Reacting to the incident, Coordinator-General of Omoku Community Youth Leaders Forum, Ekeuku Pureheart, blamed the firm for not meeting the demands of the people.

Pureheart stated, “The Federal Government intervened a long time ago. Now, some uncontrollable boys and some militia groups have blown up Agip oil well, OB5. Obiavu-5 is the name of the oil well.

“The boys are still threatening that if Agip does not engage directly with the communities of Omoku and give them what is due them, they will do more.

“We are calling on the Federal Government and other relevant agencies to intervene before things get out of hand. This may cause a drop in oil production which the government doesn’t need now.”

A spokesman of Agip, Dennis Maxi, could not be reached for comments as he neither answered calls nor replied a text message sent to him by our correspondent as of the time of filing this report.

Punch

Dayo da-Silva, Ogun

A suspected cable thief on Sunday morning was electrocuted while attempting to steal some live wires in Demunre Village, along Kobape road in Obafemi Owode local Government area of Ogun State.  

The corpse of the victim was seen dangling from the electrical poles of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC .

A close look at the connections on the pole revealed that some cables had been removed by the suspect before luck ran out on him.

Some residents of communities around the area who were gathered at the scene of the incident, said there has been cases of stealing of electrical cables in the recent past.

They said it was a shock to see the body of a human  dangling on the electrical pole at the early hours of the day.

The Technical supervisor of IBEDC in Owode Egba, Oladimeji Alatishe who was at the scene said it is now glaring that their officials were never responsible for previous stealing of electrical materials in the area as earlier insinuated in some quarters.

Two other  staff of IBEDC later removed the corpse from the pole, while some officers of the Nigerian Police came to take away the corpse.

Nigerian Newstrack gathered that the dead suspect was reported to be one of the scavengers who usually come to the area to pick metal scraps.

 Video source, Kasnaty

..decry his sense of entitlement

Nigerians have been condemning in strong terms, a statement credited to veteran Ghetto singer from Ajegunle, Friday Igwe popularly called Baba Fryo, against the Multiple award-winning popstar, Davido, who was recently in the news for a kind gesture towards orphans in the country.

Many people took to the social media to lambast the 'Dem go de pose' crooner for having a wrong sense of entitlement and for deluding Davido on his good act to orphans in Nigeria.

It would be recalled that the iconic artiste, Davido had asked his friends and fans to donate a million naira each to him for his birthday.

The singer noted that he planned to use the money to ‘clear’ his newly acquired Bentley.

After two days, the FEM singer garnered about N201m which was donated to his Wema bank account.

However, in a twist of event, the singer announced that he would be adding N50m to the N201m and donating it to orphanages across Nigeria.

He further inaugurated a committee that will disburse the funds.

While many Nigerians lauded the singer’s kind gesture, veteran Nigerian singer, Baba Fryo, opined that he was disappointed that the singer neglected him, ‘a known face’, in his trying times, only to gift unknown orphans N250m.

In a speech via his Instagram account, the ‘Dem Go Dey Pose’ singer said, “There is something that I have been seeing on social media that someone gifted orphanages N250m.

To me, the thing is funny. I remember when I was depressed, they tagged many of my colleagues; they tagged Davido, Tuface, and others but none of them responded. It was people that have never seen me in this life, people that do not know me that responded.

“This N200m that I am hearing about and seeing on social media is surprising to me. If someone like me who is popular and well known was not helped, it is people and orphanages that no one knows that is being helped; they are been given N250m, it is so funny. I will advise Nigerians and Black people to be wise and stop all these things.

“White people do not do all these things. All what we are doing will look so funny to them. I am not saying that giving money to orphanages is a bad thing because I am an ambassador to an NGO that I do not collect a dime from.

But funny enough, when I was depressed and had problems, the NGO did not respond. You see how we are. Now I am seeing N200m and they are posting it everywhere; Davido gives money to orphanages and inaugurates a five-man committee to distribute that money. Everything sounds funny to me.

“If I see someone doing good, I appreciate them; I am not saying it is a bad thing. I just want to ask people why someone like me that people know, who cried out; why did they not help the person that they know? It is the people that they do not know or can see their faces that they are helping out with N250m. Let’s all think; will we call that wickedness or ignorance?

“I tagged the Delta, Rivers and Lagos State government, none of them came to my aid. Is that wickedness or ignorance? But today I am seeing that N250m is going to be distributed to orphanages all over Nigeria. I will advise Nigerians to open their eyes.”

In reaction to these statements by Baba Fryo, Nigerians did not spare him. Here are some of the words used against him below

"this is the worst version of entitlement mentality. Baba, no na", Aniekeme Finbarr

"This is  a childish entitlement from an elder..just face the reality of life,  actually nobody owes you a thing . Life is always unfair, nobody has it all. some complain about money, some about relationships, Some about health, which ever is your own, face it and drop this entitlement. Don't expect everything to be nice and perfect for you...#TheUncomfortableTruth Oge Nsimah  

"Na your head no collect money from Davido! Except God lay it in the hearts of people, you can’t receive from them.." Oluwanishola Akeju. 

"Baba Fryo, truly you might need support but your sense of entitlement is a big No, No. You really went about it in a wrong way. The truth is that no one owes us anything in life especially once we cross to adulthood. If they help, so be it and if they don’t, move on and plan on the little resource you have. Wisdom is the principal thing! In all your getting, get wisdom, get knowledge and get understanding. There are many ways to get people’s attention. Go figure out the best way. All the best!!!" Yemisi Kunlipe

"Werin do ur own oga? So because he doesn't help u he shouldn't help any other person? Where is our humanity? Help as the word implies should be willingly not compulsory,next time save for the rainy days"..Jmartins Dauwalli

"When you were making your money who you ep¿??  Davido requested for help from friends and colleagues whom he has affected their lives directly or indirectly and he got 200m. IfIf had helped people u would have gotten response from few of them.  Besides u are not an orphaned... U made money... How did you spend your money. Lawrence Paulo

"Davido was still a baby when you were in the limelight. What did you do with the little wealth you acquired then? You no dey shame sef, dragging helper with children in orphanages!!! Obynho Kingsley

"It's a privilege not a right...work for your own money and stop whining" Ayo Olesin

"Giving to the orphan, helpless children who are under God's mercy, is one of the noblest things to do. You are just a soul, full-blooded adult who can fight your way through challenges. We are talking of hundreds of orphans who would be lifted by the donation. Davido's action is wonderful". Ogbu Chijama

The top federal religious freedom advisory panel on Wednesday condemned the Biden administration for removing Nigeria from the U.S. State Department’s list of countries of particular concern (CPC).

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), which is a federal government commission created by the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, consists of commissioners who are appointed by the president and a bipartisan group of congressional leaders.

"USCIRF is disappointed that the State Department did not adopt our recommendations in designating the countries that are the worst violators of religious freedom," said USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza in a press release. She said the panel was "appalled."

"While the State Department took steps forward on some designations, USCIRF is especially displeased with the removal of Nigeria from its CPC designation, where it was rightfully placed last year, as well as the omission of India, Syria, and Vietnam. We urge the State Department to reconsider its designations based on facts presented in its own reporting."

On Wednesday, the State Department released its countries of particular concern, which is a list of nations that are considered to have participated in or tolerated "systemic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom." Such a designation potentially carries sanctions or other punitive consequences.

Nigeria, which is a hub of Boko Haram where approximately 43,000 Christians have reportedly been killed by Islamic terrorists in the past 12 years, was added to the list during the Trump administration but left off this year.

Religious freedom advocacy group International Christian Concern (ICC) identified Nigeria as one of its 2021 "Persecutors of the Year" in a recent report.

ICC President Jeff King said he is "troubled" by Nigeria's omission as a CPC.

"The Nigerian government has done almost nothing to stop the violence against Nigerian Christians, leading to continued violent persecution," King said in a statement. "In some instances, as with Kaduna’s Governor El-Rufai, the Nigerian government has even furthered the violence. We will continue to raise the voices of the many victims of Nigeria with the U.S. government and will continue to serve Nigeria’s Christian community."

King's sentiments were echoed by Open Doors USA CEO David Curry, who said Wednesday that his organization was "deeply alarmed" by the State Department's decision.

"This is not only a baffling error, it's likely in direct violation of the International Religious Freedom Act, the law that requires these designations to be made in the first place," Curry said, going on to note how his organization has documented thousands of targeted killings of Christians in Nigeria for more than a decade.

"In no other country on earth do we see such a sustained level of outright violence directed towards a Christian community, and the situation has only deteriorated over the past 12 months," Curry said. "The Nigerian government has stubbornly refused to address this violence. The removal of Nigeria from this list will embolden bad actors and strongly deter efforts to bring peace to the region."

Sam Brownback, who became a senior fellow at Open Doors USA after serving as the U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom under former President Trump, also denounced dropping Nigeria from the list.

"The sudden removal of Nigeria from the CPC list is a serious blow to religious freedom in both Nigeria and across the region," Brownback said. "Just when we should be doing everything possible to stop the relentless violence that's targeting Christians and others, we do the opposite.

"This rewards the Nigerian government for tolerating severe religious freedom violations and sends a message to extremists that their actions will continue to go unpunished. People of faith in Nigeria will bear the fallout of this decision, and that's unacceptable," Brownback added.

The State Department did not respond to an after-hours request for comment in time for publication.

Fox News

There are thousands of studies on the importance of employee satisfaction. Looking at the overwhelming evidence, we now know that the happiness of employees affects everything from customer satisfaction to employee productivity and retention. And since the Covid-19 pandemic started, the workplace "environment" has truly become more of an experience.

Naturally, the question arises: Are there any proven effective ways to make employee satisfaction an actual, attainable objective in the new paradigm? 

Absolutely, and way too many strategies to mention in one sitting. But one idea to consider is to embrace team members for who they are, rather than what they can do for the company.

Empathy: The leadership separator

We call this empathy (the answer to the question in the title), and with empathy, a whole new world full of possibilities is opened up about how to lead employees and serve customers better.

Empathy requires the powerful practice of active listening. This brings me to a new book called Move the Needle by international speaker and best-selling author Robb Holman. Active listening is a core tenet of empathy that Holman teaches in his book. He explains that with active listening we invite ourselves into a person's story, helping them feel appreciated and valued. This helps us to better understand and empathize with someone's pain or struggle, which, these days, is necessary considering that most of us are experiencing some sort of hardship.

Acknowledge workplace grief with empathy

With hardship comes the ignored understanding of workplace grief, a rare business topic on which Holman shines the light. A study conducted by the Grief Recovery Institute found that U.S employers lose up to $75 billion each year as a result of grieving in the workplace. Grieving employees typically experience higher levels of daily stress. This can lead to poor decision-making, substance misuse, and an increased risk of injury. 

"Grieving is not just about the death of a loved one, family member, or friend," Holman explains in his book. We grieve lost opportunities, dreams we don't realize, and global pandemics. "If we want stronger relationships in the workplace, we need to be aware that people are grieving more than we know, and be empathetic to that idea."

To drive home Holman's point of expressing empathy, if we can deeply acknowledge that a team member may be grieving, chances are good that we can better serve that person for a positive business outcome.

Express empathy as an act of service

But showing empathy isn't always easy, especially when it comes to people we disagree with or don't mesh with at work. 

However, an intentional act of empathy, as Holman writes in his book, can offer a chance to enter someone else's story and even enroll them into yours.

"As you demonstrate humility and presence through active understanding, you value that person. When a person feels valued, they are more receptive to feedback," he says.

What about people who are not receptive to our empathy, or our desire to relate? "I'd love to say that when you faithfully serve through empathy and sacrifice, it's all victory. However, the agony of defeat is a real thing," professes Holman in his book.

This lesson was never more apparent for Holman than when he had started a nonprofit years ago and invested in a relationship with a core team member. The two became good friends, their families became good friends, and there was a lot of time and energy devoted to their friendship and working relationship.

As the relationship grew, there were miscommunications that impacted the organization that Holman took responsibility for. He apologized publicly to his team members and assured his commitment to making sure things were not misconstrued. But something surprising occurred: This person chose not to receive Holman's apology or continue in the venture. 

This revealed something to Holman about service. There are times when you are serving others, and they will leave you. It is painful, but as long as you serve faithfully and without strings attached, you have done well. "The moment we place conditions on our service, it's only a matter of time before the relationship eludes us," assures Holman. 

In conclusion, influence through service doesn't come without its costs. But we all know that nothing good comes easy. By recognizing that many if not most people are grieving in some way, we can, with empathy and active listening, be better leaders in the workplace. And authentic empathetic service transforms and empowers a workforce. 

Entrepreneur

The United States has once again warned that it may stop rendering military assistance to Nigeria if the country fails to protect human rights.

The US Secretary of States, Antony Blinken, who gave the warning, also urged federal and Lagos State governments to sanction any individuals found to have violated human rights during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests when the white paper on the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters is ready.

He warned that if the rights violations persisted, the US government might evoke the Leahy Law to deny Nigeria access to hardware, which includes arms and other military equipment to fight terrorism and other forms of criminalities.

An eight-man panel led by retired Justice Doris Okuwobi had submitted a 309-page report to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday, indicting soldiers and police for killing peaceful protesters at Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.

Describing the Lekki toll gate incident as a massacre, the panel report stated that at least nine persons were killed by security agents at the scene and listed 48 names as casualties, including 22 protesters, who sustained gunshot injuries and 15 others allegedly assaulted by soldiers and police.

During a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Aso Rock, Abuja, Blinken had said America anticipated the response of the federal and Lagos State governments to the panel’s findings.

On Friday, Blinken met with members of the civil society in Abuja, reiterating the US’ demand for justice.

In an interview with CNN, Blinken urged Nigeria to bring those indicted by the panel report to book.

He said the US might evoke the Leahy Law on military aid against Nigeria if the country failed to protect human rights.

The Leahy Law is an American rights ordinance that prohibits the US government from providing military assistance to foreign security force units that violate human rights with impunity.

Asked during the CNN interview whether the US had changed its conclusion in the light of the panel’s report, Blinken said he was waiting for the full report to be released by the Lagos State Government.

He, however, argued that the most important thing was ensuring that those found wanting face the full weight of the law.

He said, “But a couple of things are really important. As I said, the report itself, done by the state government, but then once it’s out, for there to actually be action on the basis of the report, action as necessary by the states, action by the Federal Government, and action in the sense of two things.

“First, making sure that based on what is documented to have happened, it won’t happen again – so there may be reforms that are necessary – and building or rebuilding trust between the citizens and the security services, between citizens and the state.  That is an obligation of both the state government and the Federal Government.

“Second is accountability. If there are individuals that – as it emerges from this report – who are responsible for committing abuses, there has to be accountability in terms of those individuals. That too is vital to rebuilding trust between citizens and the state and the security services.”

On what the US would do if human rights abuses continued, he responded, “And, of course, we also have laws in place – the Leahy laws, for example – that make sure that if there are units that have committed abuses, we’re not going to provide equipment to those units.”

When asked pointedly if the Leahy law would be imposed on Nigeria, the Secretary of State responded, “Well, we look in any instance if – and if there are credible allegations that prove, that we believe meet the standard of the law, yes, of course, we’ll apply the law.”

A petition by rights groups including Amnesty International had recently forced the US Congress to call for the stoppage of weapons sales to Nigeria.

When asked by CNN if the US government would bow to pressure by the US Congress to impose an arms embargo on Nigeria amid incessant allegations of human rights abuse, Blinken said it would all depend on Nigeria’s response.

Blinken stated, “If there is genuine transparency, accountability and change that follows from these incidents and from these abuses, I think that’s very important not only to our administration, it’s important to Congress in making judgments about continuing to provide assistance to the security forces.”

He explained that the assistance being given to the Nigerian military was not only hardware but training to tackle terrorism and criminal activities.

Blinken said, “But the assistance itself is not just the hardware that we might provide – airplanes or helicopters – it’s the software, the human software. Because one of the things that we’re doing is making sure that as we’re providing equipment to deal with profound security challenges that are faced here in Nigeria – terrorism, criminal activity, other violence – that those who will be using the equipment are trained in a way that makes sure that they are doing it to avoid hurting the good guys even as they’re going after the bad guys, to make sure that the laws of armed conflict are fully in mind. And that if they make mistakes, they’re corrected and they’re brought to light immediately. All of that’s very important. And, of course, we also have laws in place – the Leahy laws, for example – that make sure that if there are units that are – that have committed abuses, we’re not going to provide equipment to those units.”

Panel faults LASG for inviting military to disperse protesters

The judicial panel, in its report, faulted the state government for inviting the army to disperse peaceful #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.

The panel noted that the violence recorded in some other parts of the state did not happen at the Lekki toll gate, noting that there was no need for any apprehension on the part of the government to deploy soldiers bearing lethal weapons to dispel peaceful protesters at the toll gate.

The report stated, “The panel finds that although the army gave copious evidence of general commotion, violence and mayhem in other locations in Lagos State other than Lekki toll gate, there is no justification behind the deployment of its soldiers and officers to Lekki toll gate in particular, when there was no violence reported there instead of the other critical areas (for example in places like Orile, Mushin etc), which indeed escalated the violence. The deployment of the army to Lekki toll gate on 20/10/2020, in the absence of any reported violence, was totally unwarranted.”

The Commander, 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, Nigerian Army, Victoria Island, A. I. Taiwo, affirmed that the governor called the Chief of Army Staff as well as the GOC 81 Division to ask for intervention because the police had been overwhelmed.

The panel however noted that the ineffectiveness of the police could not be a justification for the invitation of the army and their deployment to the Lekki toll gate on the said date, especially when the government had already opened up dialogue with the protesters.

Punch