By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
Oyo State Governor, Engr Seyi Makinde on Wednesday said that
the state government will ensure prompt implementation of the reports of the judicial panel of inquiry set up to look into police brutality and other related matters, in the aftermath of the #ENDSARS
The governor while receiving the reports from the Panel’s Chairman, Justice Badejoko Adeniji (rtd), at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan said this will give room for adequate restitution.
Gov Makinde at the ceremony announced scholarship to one of the victims of police brutality in the state, a 23-year old Samuel Ogundeji, in line with the recommendation in the ENDSARS panel reports presented to him.
According to the governor, the panel’s efforts will not be in vain and that the government will soon implement some of the recommendations starting with the provision of automatic scholarship to the 23-year-old Samuel Ogundeji, who was falsely accused of stealing a banker’s wallet and brutalised by men of the defunct SARS, which resulted into blindness.
“The first step towards solving a problem is to identify that problem, and there is no way you will identify or get to the roots of any situation if we don’t talk about them, ask people to come forward and tell us. So, that is exactly what we have done in Oyo State by instituting this Panel of Enquiry”, he said.
Gov Makinde added, ” before now, things got swept under the carpet, but people have been able to come forward, they have put facts on the table and it is now left for us to take proper steps out of it and react appropriately.”
“A lot of people kept sending messages to me about when the Panel of Enquiry will send their report and I said, for us in Oyo State, we don’t just want to rush to do things. We want to be thorough and ensure that when we say a problem is solved, it is solved.
“We thank you for your time, because this took us more than a year. You have also shown dedication and commitment to our state and country and I want to thank you very much.”
The governor also commended the Justice Adeniji-led Panel for paying the first semester fee, accommodation, feeding and clothing needs of a 23-year-old man, who was brutalised by the SARS and blinded, adding, “another thing that struck me was what your Panel did for Samuel Ogundeji, the 23-year-old young man”.
” You paid for his first semester fee. You have really gone over and above what we expected you to do. You saw a vacuum and filled it immediately. The essence of all of these is not just to apportion blames but to ensure that when problems are identified, they are solved and also look at the future to ensure that we move away from this kind of thing.What we will do as a government is to follow that lead and ensure that the boy is granted automatic scholarship by the Oyo State government, which will cover his tuition fees and also stipends throughout his study.
The Chairman of the panel, Justice Adeniji (rtd), said that the Panel received one hundred and fifty-one (151) petitions, stating that one hundred and twenty-one (121) petitions were heard to finality and were adjourned sine die for award of compensations and that 30 petitions were struck out for various reasons.
Justice Adeniji stressed that award of compensations were categorised into five groups and that the Panel recorded some achievements adding that the Panel’s reports and recommendations of awards are in two volumes, which includes “I and “IA.”
The governor while receiving the reports from the Panel’s Chairman, Justice Badejoko Adeniji (rtd), at the Executive Council Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan said this will give room for adequate restitution.
Gov Makinde at the ceremony announced scholarship to one of the victims of police brutality in the state, a 23-year old Samuel Ogundeji, in line with the recommendation in the ENDSARS panel reports presented to him.
According to the governor, the panel’s efforts will not be in vain and that the government will soon implement some of the recommendations starting with the provision of automatic scholarship to the 23-year-old Samuel Ogundeji, who was falsely accused of stealing a banker’s wallet and brutalised by men of the defunct SARS, which resulted into blindness.
“The first step towards solving a problem is to identify that problem, and there is no way you will identify or get to the roots of any situation if we don’t talk about them, ask people to come forward and tell us. So, that is exactly what we have done in Oyo State by instituting this Panel of Enquiry”, he said.
Gov Makinde added, ” before now, things got swept under the carpet, but people have been able to come forward, they have put facts on the table and it is now left for us to take proper steps out of it and react appropriately.”
“A lot of people kept sending messages to me about when the Panel of Enquiry will send their report and I said, for us in Oyo State, we don’t just want to rush to do things. We want to be thorough and ensure that when we say a problem is solved, it is solved.
“We thank you for your time, because this took us more than a year. You have also shown dedication and commitment to our state and country and I want to thank you very much.”
The governor also commended the Justice Adeniji-led Panel for paying the first semester fee, accommodation, feeding and clothing needs of a 23-year-old man, who was brutalised by the SARS and blinded, adding, “another thing that struck me was what your Panel did for Samuel Ogundeji, the 23-year-old young man”.
” You paid for his first semester fee. You have really gone over and above what we expected you to do. You saw a vacuum and filled it immediately. The essence of all of these is not just to apportion blames but to ensure that when problems are identified, they are solved and also look at the future to ensure that we move away from this kind of thing.What we will do as a government is to follow that lead and ensure that the boy is granted automatic scholarship by the Oyo State government, which will cover his tuition fees and also stipends throughout his study.
The Chairman of the panel, Justice Adeniji (rtd), said that the Panel received one hundred and fifty-one (151) petitions, stating that one hundred and twenty-one (121) petitions were heard to finality and were adjourned sine die for award of compensations and that 30 petitions were struck out for various reasons.
Justice Adeniji stressed that award of compensations were categorised into five groups and that the Panel recorded some achievements adding that the Panel’s reports and recommendations of awards are in two volumes, which includes “I and “IA.”
