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• Sanwo-Olu calls for healing, plans a peace walk
• Falz, Mr. Marcaroni reject gov’s invitation
• State judicial panels can indict military, police officers, Falana insists
Lagos State Government, yesterday, rejected some of the conclusions reached by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry into last year’s #EndSARS protest.
Of the 32 recommendations made by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry, the state government accepted 11; rejected one; and accepted six with modifications.
Also, 14 recommendations fell outside the powers of the state government and would be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration.
Speaking at State House, Alausa, Sanwo-Olu disclosed that his government was committed to bringing closure to the “painful episode”. He said the state faces the hard choice of restoring harmony or doing itself great harm, urging residents to join his administration in strengthening harmony and putting Lagos on the path of peace.
He urged the rejection of persons fueling anarchy and suspicion; those who cling to the unsubstantiated belief that carries no weight of verifiable evidence while choosing emotion over facts.
The governor also disclosed he would be leading ‘A Walk for Peace’ in December to herald healing of the land, and extended an open invitation to youths, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society groups, students and the media, as well as other stakeholders.
He specifically invited Folarin Falana (Falz), Debo Adebayo (Mr. Marcaroni), Dele Farotimi, Temitope Majekodunmi, Segun Awosanya (Segalinks), Adedotun (Just Detoun), Seun Kuti, Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu and Commander of Rapid Response Squad (RRS), CSP Yinka Egbeyemi, and others to join him in the “historic march for our dear Lagos”.
BUT in separate reactions, Falz and Mr. Marcaroni rejected Sanwo-Olu’s invitation to the peace walk.
Mr. Marcaroni said genuine peacemaking should begin by first implementing the recommendations of the panel.
Segalink, however, said the governor has shown leadership with his mature response.
Mr. Marcaroni said: “I humbly decline the invitation of Mr. Governor…Before there can be healing, the government has to be sincere. There must be acceptance of wrongdoings and willingness to correct them.
“The last walk wey I do, na so dem bundle me, strip me naked, brutalise and dehumanise me. I no carry gun, I no carry weapon. As dem dey beat me, dem dey ask why I dey disturb Mr. Governor. Now dem say make I come do walk. For another round of beating?”
MEANWHILE, reacting to challenges from some quarters on the legality of state judicial panels to indict military and police officers, human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, issued a statement yesterday, arguing: “Since the Tribunal of Enquiry Act is not a law of general application in the country, it is a dangerous submission to say that only a commission of inquiry instituted by the President is competent to investigate the violations of human rights or murder committed by Federal officers in any state of the Federation.
“In fact, it is embarrassing that some public officers who had campaigned for the sovereignty of state governments within the federation before 2015 have turned round to question the powers of state governments to legislate on matters in the residual list including the Tribunal of Inquiry Laws.
According to him, “the controversy surrounding the legality of any panel set up under the Tribunal of Enquiry Law of Lagos State was laid to rest as far back as 1987.
He submitted: “Military and police personnel indicted for murder and allied offences are liable to be prosecuted by the Attorney-General of Lagos State as the Attorney-General of the Federation lacks the power to prosecute any person accused of committing state offences.”
