The Independent Investigation Panel on Human Rights Violations by the defuct Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other units of the Nigerian Police Force on Thursday awarded monetary compensations to 27 victims of human rights Violations.
The compensation which amounted to N146 million are to serve as civil remedies to the violations suffered by the victims and their families in the hands of some policemen.
The Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission, Tony Ojukwu, SAN, who stated this during the award ceremony in Abuja noted that the other two layers of justice, which are institutional and prosecutorial in nature will now be handled by the Nigerian Police Force/the Police Service Commission and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) respectively.
"We are changing the narrative that there must be accountability for impunity and there should be a remedy whenever someone's right is violated", Ojukwu added.
The Chief Human Rights Officer in Nigeria used the opportunity to remind stakeholders, including the Law Enforcement Agencies, the Judiciary, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Development Partners and the Business Sector of their responsibility to respect human rights since the task cannot be left for the Commission alone.
In his remarks during the award ceremony, the Chairman of the Independent Investigation Panel, Justice Suleiman Galadima (rtd) said that the event today is to implement part of the panel's report and that "this is not the final report".
Justice Galadima observed that the compensations cannot replace lives lost or parts of the body that have been brutally lost as a result of the various human rights violations, just as he urged government to, aside from monetary compensation, ensure a full implementation of the report.
The former Supreme Court Justice also appealed to state governments that have received reports of their respective SARS panel, such as Lagos, Delta, Rivers and Anambra etc., to ensure that the various recommendations therefrom are implemented as well.
Lastly, the Chairman commended the Executive Secretary of NHRC, Ojukwu, SAN, and the Secretary of the panel, Mr. Hilary Ogbonna for working round the clock towards a successful sitting of the panel.
