ENDSARS
#EndSARS: Governors are well within their rights to set up panels of enquiry – NBA
Mr. Akpata said that the States have the right to determine if the violations happened and recommend the right steps to take towards justice.
The President of the Nigerian Bar association, Olumide Akpata, has said that Nigerian Governors are well within their rights or the power of the law to set up panels of inquiry to determine if SARS went beyond their boundaries to violate the rights of citizens.
Mr. Akpata disclosed this in an interview with Channels TV on Sunday evening.
READ: #EndSARS: President Buhari reaffirms commitment to protecting the rights of all citizens
What you should know
The Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, first announced during the #EndSARS protests that the 36 State Governors and the FCT Minister will set up judicial panels of inquiry that will adopt public hearings.
Lagos State Government inaugurated an 8-man Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution to investigate cases of police brutality in the state, as the protests continued. The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, announced that the Judicial panel set up by the state would include the incident at Lekki toll gate.
READ: We won’t disclose identity of soldiers deployed to Lekki Tollgate – Nigerian Army
President Muhammadu Buhari also stated that the Lagos State Judicial Panel had his full support, and expressed confidence in the outcomes of other panels set up by states.
In Sunday’s interview, the NBA President said it’s lawful for governors to set up panels to determine the scale of violations committed by SARS.
READ: #EndSARS: Hoodlums burn down police station in Lagos
“I think the Governors are well within their rights or the power of the law to set up those panels of inquiry for the purpose of determining whether or not the now-disbanded SARS went beyond their remit.
“Whether or not the claims that we have from various Nigerians as to how they were mistreated or illegally treated by SARS are correct,” he said.
He added that the NBA has not received complaints on the legality of the Panels and has been invited to sit on some panels.
READ: House of Reps to make Youths globally competitive
“We are of the view that those panels are well-constituted, and in some states, members of the Nigerians Bar Association have been invited to be on those panels,” he said.
On the powers that the governors have within the panels, Mr. Akpata said that the States have the right to determine if the violations happened and recommend the right steps to take to the Federal authorities.
READ: President Buhari approves N13.3 billion for Community Policing in Nigeria
“In my understanding of these panels, the way they have been constituted is to say ‘Yes, this happened’ or ‘No, that did not happen’ and recommend to the authorities what they think should be done with regard to those persons who are found to have broken the law or breached any provision of the law.
“I don’t think anybody has suggested for a second that these particular panels have the power to punish an individual or to jail anybody. That is not my understanding of these panels or what their remit covers,” he said.
READ: #EndSARS: Sanwo-Olu announces terms of reference for judicial panel on police brutality
Recall Nairametrics reported that the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) condemned the killings of peaceful protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on Tuesday, 20th of October, adding that even if protesters were breaching curfew, such actions did not warrant the use of live ammunition by the Nigerian military.
Akpata, also disclosed in October that the right to protest is a fundamental right recognized by the Nigerian Constitution and upheld by Nigerian courts at all levels, and called for the protection of the rights of citizens participating in the peaceful protests across the country.
Business
ICPC Chairman reveals #EndSARS protests was financed with cryptocurrency
ICPC Chairman has revealed to the Nigerian Senate that the #EndSARS protest was largely funded with cryptocurrency.
The Chairman of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Commission (ICPC), Bolaji Owasanoye has revealed to the Nigerian Senate that the #EndSARS protest was largely funded with cryptocurrency.
This is as he said there are strong indications that it could be used to fund Insurgency in the country.
According to a report from Vanguard, this disclosure was made by the ICPC Chairman, during an interactive session with Senate Joint Committee on Banking, ICT, Cybercrime and Capital Market led by Senator Uba Sani on Tuesday, February 23, 2021.
READ: ICPC uncovers N9.8 billion Government money hidden in Aso Savings
The Joint committee was mandated to look at the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ban Cryptocurrency in Nigeria.
The ICPC boss while supporting the position of the CBN, said that the nature of operations of Cryptocurrency exposes it to money laundering and terrorism financing.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has said that the agency averted a $3million fraud linked to 20 bank accounts.
READ: ICPC moves against NDDC top management over corruption allegations, quizzes directors
Owasanoye further explained that the anti-graft agency currently has a number of cases linked to Cryptocurrency but is unable to track the suspects.
He brought the attention of the Senate to a period in 2018 when a number of globally rated financial institutions said their financial statements had been hacked with the perpetrators asking to be paid in Cryptocurrencies.
ICPC Chairman noted that the CBN as a regulator has the responsibility to ensure sound financial stability and it will be difficult to achieve in the case of Cryptocurrencies where the players are anonymous.
While sharing the experience of the Indian Supreme Court and how it ruled and admitted that it does not know what it is, he urged the Lawmakers to as a matter of urgency, take decisive action against Cryptocurrencies.
READ: Most powerful financial leader takes side with CBN, says Bitcoin is untrustworthy
What you should know
- It can be recalled that the CBN had directed the financial institutions to immediately close the accounts of such persons or entities transacting in or operating cryptocurrency exchanges, warning of severe regulatory sanctions in the event of any breach of the directive.
- The apex bank warned the Deposit Money Banks, Non-Financial Institutions and other Financial Institutions against doing business in crypto and other digital assets.
- The latest directive is coming after the CBN had in 2018 stated that cryptocurrencies are not legal tender and as such are illegal.
ENDSARS
#OccupyLekkiTollGate: Lagos Attorney-General explains large police presence at Lekki toll gate
Lagos Attorney-General has stated that the State does not support the abuse of peaceful protesters.
