Nigeria Police Force has filed a suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja seeking an order to stop the panel of inquiry various state government set up to investigate human rights and brutality allegations against the disbanded SARS.
The police authorities through their lawyer, Mr O. M. Atoyebi, argued in the suit that the action by state governors is “unconstitutional, illegal, null and void and of no effect whatsoever”.
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According to the police, the state governments’ decision to set up such panels violated the provisions of section 241(1)(2)(a) and Item 45, Part 1, First Schedule to the Constitution and Section 21 of the Tribunals of Inquiry Act.
The Police argued that by virtue of the provisions of 241(1)(2)(a) and Item 45, Part 1, First Schedule to the Nigerian Constitution only the Federal Government had exclusive power to “organise, control and administer the Nigeria Police Force”.
The suit further argued that the state governments lacked the power to constitute the panels to investigate activities of the police force and its officials in the conduct of their statutory duties.
However, the police urged the court to restrain the Attorney-Generals of the 36 states of the federation and their various panels of inquiry from going ahead with the probe.
Various state governors have set up panel of inquiry to probe allegations of police brutality and human rights abuses of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad and other police tactical units.
The National Executive Council (NEC), headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, directed for the inauguration of the panel as the EndSARS protests persisted in October.
