Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa
By Our Reporter
The White Papers released by the Lagos State Government on the Lekki Tollgate shooting was bedeviled with cover-ups, inconsistencies and inaccuracies. This much was disclosed by Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa on Wednesday.
The activist added that the panel will respond to the White Papers at the appropriate time.
The #EndSARS Judicial Panel of Investigation had claimed in its report that nine people were killed at the Lekki Tollgate by the army and police.
But the White Papers released by the Lagos State Government on Tuesday rubbished claims by the panel that nine people were killed.
However, Adegboruwa, in a statement said since November 15, 2021, when the Reports of the #EndSARS Judicial Panel were submitted to the Lagos State Government, a good number of his colleagues, friends and admirers prevailed on him to refrain from further public pronouncements on the activities and reports of the Panel since the government was studying the said reports.
“Upon the submission of the said reports, lawyers on the payroll of the government and other employees of the government, took turns to denigrate the reports, on national television, in paid adverts in newspapers and on the social media.
“Ministers in the Cabinet of the Federal Government have also commented on the said reports, in some cases calling members of the Panel unprintable names and even comparing victims of brutality and human rights abuses to goats and taunting their already traumatized families and friends.
“On November 30, 2021, the government released two separate White Papers, to the general public. The Panel was not informed of this action and it was not availed copies of the said White Papers, till this moment.
“The Committee that reviewed the Reports of the Panel and which produced the White Papers was headed by the Honourable Attorney-General of Lagos State,” he said.
Adegboruwa said on December 1, 2021, the Attorney-General of Lagos State was a guest on Arise Television, where he took time to discuss the Reports of the Panel and the contents of the White Papers that his Committee produced.
He stated that the impression was also created that the Panel mismanaged funds released to it.
“It has become necessary therefore for me and all other Members of the Panel to study the White Papers and make appropriate responses thereto. There will be no holds barred, since the government itself has opened the doors for public scrutiny of the report and the white papers.
“For the records, the Panel relied upon the evidence of witnesses, documents tendered before it and the goodwill of the people of Nigeria, throughout its assignment.
“It is painful for me and the Panel that the government is creating the wrong impression of financial impropriety as a tool of distraction when the Panel had a Secretariat that managed all its funds, through the Ministry of Justice,” he said.
Adegboruwa said although he served on the Panel free of charge without collecting a dime, he knew as a fact that other members served sacrificially, given up their time, families and careers for a whole year.
“At the appropriate time, we will respond to all the inaccuracies, the coverups and the inconsistencies contained in the White Papers released by the government. Assuredly, nothing can ever cover the truth,” he said
