The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, says that the state government will pay N190 million to the victims of police brutality as recommended by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry.
Obaseki stated this in Benin during a meeting with youths across the 18 local government areas of the state.
Obaseki had set up a panel to investigate police brutality, human rights abuses and extrajudicial killings by the disbanded police unit, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in the state.
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“I set up a panel to investigate cases of police brutality against the people. In summary, 117 petitions were received, 25 of them were struck out while 10 were dismissed.
“The panel recommended compensation to be paid to victims totalling N190 million, while the amount of judgment sum recommended being enforced was N98 million.
“I have accepted that we will pay those who were victims; we are not waiting for anybody, not even the Federal Government.”
He said he would also pay N1 million each to two victims of the EndSARS protests, Oshima Steven and Miracle Ailenokhoria, with a promising to pay for their continuous treatment.
He called for a regular promotion for the police, enforcement of welfare package, training and re-training of police officers, upward review of salaries, yearly mental evaluation and quarterly tests for hard drugs.
The governor assured that his administration would do all within its power to implement the 15 recommendations of the panel, saying Edo youths were the greatest resources of the state.
A representative of the youths, Solomon Idiogbe, while commending the governor, urged him to engage more youths as a means of checking cultism in the State.
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