The Nigerian Police have initiated a move to stop various panels probing allegations of rights abuses and other acts of impunity by police officials, particularly operatives of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.
Newsmen reports that state governments had constituted the panels to investigate alleged infractions by SARS operatives, following nationwide #EndSARS protests by Nigerian youths.
But the Police have approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking among other things, an order restraining the Attorneys-General of the 36 states and the panels of inquiry they constituted, from proceedings with their investigation of the activities of the police and their officials.
The defendants include the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the attorneys-general of the states and chairmen of the panels set up by the states.
The plaintiff’s main contention is that the decision by governors to set up panels of inquiry to investigate activities of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and their officials in the conduct of their statutory duties, violates Section 241(1)(2)(a) and Item 45, Part 1, First Schedule to the Constitution and Section 21 of the Tribunals of Inquiry Act.
