Pascal Arogorn Ibe
…..#EndSARS protesters appear before Lagos panel, demand audience
The Judicial Panel of Inquiry set up by the Lagos State Government to probe the Lekki shootings as well as complaints of human rights abuses against members of the disbanded Special Anti- Robbery Squad has begun viewing the CCTV footage submitted by the Lekki Concession Company, operators of the Lekki toll gate.
The Managing Director of LCC , Abayomi Omomuwa , had submitted the video footage on Tuesday.
The video has no sound and Omowuwa had told the panel that the surveillance camera stopped working at 8pm on October 20 when the incident happened .
According to the LCC MD, the footage was retrieved from the surveillance camera mounted by the firm on a mast at the tollgate.
Counsel for the Lagos State Government , Mr Jelili Owonikoko ( SAN) , had suggested that the panel only view some portion of the footage to save time , but counsel for #EndSARS protesters , Mr Adesina Ogunlana, insisted that the entire footage be viewed on the grounds that “ we should not sacrifice quality for speed . ”
But the retired Justice Doris Okuwobi- led panel ruled that the entire footage would be viewed.
The panel began viewing the footage around 11:30am on Friday.
The footage , which is currently being viewed, shows peaceful #EndSARS protesters at the toll gate on the night of October 20, 2020.
It also shows that the lights at the toll gate were on .
For now , the footage has not shown the arrival of soldiers at the toll gate.
ALSO, Three of the #EndSARS protesters on Friday appeared before the Lagos Panel of Judicial Inquiry probing the October 20 shootings by soldiers at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos .
The protesters – Victoria Oniru , Dabira Ayuku, and Perpetual Kamsiyuchukwu – through their lawyer , Mr Adesina Ogunlana, demanded to be granted an audience .
Adesina told the retired Justice Doris Okuwobi- led panel that he would like to cross -examine the Managing Director of the Lekki Concession Company , operator of the Lekki toll gate, Abayomi Omowuwa.
Though counsel for the Lagos State Government , Mr Jelili Owonikoko ( SAN) , and LCC lawyer , Mr Rotimi Seriki , earlier opposed Ogunlana’ s appearance on the basis that “ #EndSARS” is not an entity known to the law, they later withdrew their objection when Ogunlana called out his three clients.
“ I am not representing spirits or ghosts . We ’ re here , to tell the truth .
These are part of the people running underground , being threatened, ” Ogunlana said in response to the objection by Owonikoko and Seriki .
Owonikoko had described #EndSARS as a nebulous entity with no structure or leader , questioning where Ogunlana got his instruction to appear before the panel.
Seriki , on his part, had said since the LCC Managing Director was before the panel on the subpoena ,
“ he cannot be cross – examined by every Tom, Dick, and Harry. ”
Following the withdrawal of the objection to Ogunlana’ s appearing, Justice Okuwobi , in a ruling , admitted the protesters as a party and allowed their lawyer ’ s appearance .
The panel is at the moment viewing the video footage of the night of October 20 when soldiers opened fire at the Lekki tollgate .
According to the LCC MD, the footage was retrieved from a surveillance camera mounted by the firm on a mast at the tollgate.
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