Rinu Oduala, one of the organisers of the #EndSARS protests,
has withdrawn from the Lagos judicial panel on police brutality and human
rights abuse.
Oduala was one of the youth representatives on the panel set
up in the wake of the #EndSARS protests.
At its sitting on Saturday, the panel had granted approval
for the return of Lekki tollgate to the control of Lekki Concession Company
(LCC).
Oduala and Temitope Majekodunmi, another youth
representative, had criticised the decision, saying their views were not reflected
in the panel’s ruling.
In a statement released on Friday, Oduala described the
development as an act of injustice, adding that she will not be part of a
cover-up.
She said: “My stand on the reopening on the toll gate
remains clear; the state government and the private organisation which operates
the toll have not been cleared of collusion with elements allegedly deployed by
the federal government to target Nigerian citizens on home soil during a time
of peace, without provocation.
“Justice has not been served, and as a representative of the
Nigerian citizenry, my only recourse is to stay the course of justice. Let me
be clear: I chose to honour the invitation to represent my peers and to stand
as an example that any Nigerian has the right to demand accountability of
elected government officials and that our institutions, however flawed, can
still deliver justice.
“What I will not do is be part of a cover-up. I am proud
that I took the invitation because some of the successes the panel has recorded
so far have been incredibly powerful for the people.
“For the first time, SARS victims have had the opportunity
to be truly seen and heard by the government, by the public, and by the system
that allowed them to be victims in the first place.”
Oduala said although the panel achieved “partial wins”, they
are not sufficient, owing to the fact that the government has not acknowledged
its failings.
She said: “The panel allowed victims of police intimidation
and brutality to have their day in the light of justice. They got to expose the
violence that was meted out, to experience some catharsis from having the
government acknowledge its failures and, in many cases, are going to be
receiving some compensation, however inadequate for the disruption to their
lives.
“This is further than
we have ever come as a nation, and while this same rigour was not applied to
the case of the Lekki Toll shootings, we can at least celebrate the wins that
our brothers and sisters can finally claim in their fight for justice, and
recognise that our collective will is more powerful than any institution.
“However, partial wins are not enough for me. I decided to
join this fight because I wanted the government to recognise its failures and work
to overhaul its security institutions. I did not expect piecemeal
acknowledgements and efforts to sabotage vital proceedings.”
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