From Francis Nansak Lafia
The judicial panel of inquiry into the activities of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (F-SARS) instituted for victims of police brutality by the Nasarawa state government said they have received 16 petitions so far.
Chairman of the panel, Hon. Justice Badamasi Maina, made the disclosure during the mentioning of the 16 petitions by the panel on Tuesday’s sitting at the Ministry of Justice, Lafia, the state capital.
Justice Maina assured the public that the panel would treat testimonies by witnesses with utmost confidentiality, thereby requested for the cooperation of complainant counsels to enable the panel handle their matters expeditiously.
According to him, “We have so far received sixteen petitions which are to be mentioned today. We expect the cooperation of the Bar, where counsel is representing a petitioner. Matters should be handled expeditiously considering the time limit given to the tribunal,” Maina assured.
He urged the public to come forward with their complaints and petitions to the panel as the submission date is extended to 31 of December 2020, with the assurance that at the end of the day, justice would be served.
The chairman of the panel also informed that “on the day of our inaugural sitting, we gave up to 9th November 2020 for the submission of the memoranda, but realised later that the information might not have reached the affected people on the Western part of the state,
“We wrote to all the traditional rulers, local government chairmen, the Bar and other relevant bodies in the state and have established branch offices for the receipt of memoranda.”
He maintained that panel still welcomes petitions as residents with in Akwanga areas to submit at ministry of Justice area office, No 38 Federal Low Cost Housing Estate, those at Karu axis is Ministry of Justice Area office, old Karu road Mararaba and those in Keffi is also at Ministry of Justice area office as well as Ministry of Justice headquarters, Lafia.
