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Oyo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Police Brutality – Day 21

Picture of the Oyo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry hearing on March 11, 2021

Table of Contents

This is a report of the twenty-first public hearing of the Oyo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Police Brutality, Violation of Rights of Citizens and Unlawful Killings in Oyo State.

Venue: The House of Chiefs, Oyo State House of Assembly, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Date: Thursday, March 11, 2021.

Today’s sitting commenced at about 9:20am, shortly after the arrival of the panelists. Altogether, there are ten petitions before the Oyo State Judicial Panel for today.

Cases at the Oyo State Judicial Panel

1. Case No. OYJPPB/025

Alhaji Ganiyu Ajiboye Busari v Oyo State Police Command. The petitioner was present and was represented by Kingsley Ike (Esq.) and I. C. Onukawa (Esq.). The respondent was absent and was not represented.

Mrs Oluwafolake Ogundele, the panel’s counsel said that the Oyo State Judicial Panel had received a letter from the respondent; informing the panel that Mr Matthew Ojeah was indisposed and that CSP Funke Fawole was out of jurisdiction. The letter was shown to the panel members and the petitioner’s counsel.

However, the petitioner’s counsel; Kingsley Ike (Esq.) told the Oyo State Judicial Panel that he had filed a new petition dated March 8, 2021 to replace the previous petition dated 11th of December, 2021. He also said that he served the processes of the new petition on the Commissioner of Police and the Police Officer in Charge Legal on March 9th, 2021 and it was duly received and stamped.

With this, the petition dated 11th December, 2020 was struck out and substituted with the petition dated March 8, 2021. The petition was therefore adjourned till April 14, 2021 for definite hearing. The Oyo State Judicial Panel also ordered that a fresh hearing notice should be issued and served on the respondent’s counsel.

2. Case No. OYJPPB/028

Mr Faluade Dare Alabi v The Officers, Ojoo Police Station. The petitioner was present but was not represented by a legal counsel. Meanwhile, the respondent was absent and was not represented.

However, the petitioner told the Oyo State Judicial Panel that his lawyer, O. I. Falana was not available because he had another matter in the regular court. The petition was adjourned till April 13, 2021 for mention. The panel also ordered that a fresh hearing notice be issued and served on the Police Officer in Charge Legal, CSP Funke Fawole.

3. Case No. OYJPPB/039

Mr Olamide Onikosi v The Nigeria Police Station. The petitioner was absent but was represented by Itunuoluwa Aderounmu (Esq.). Meanwhile, the respondent was absent and was not represented.

The respondent’s letter was shown to the petitioner’s counsel, Itunuoluwa Aderounmu (Esq.). The panel pointed out that the petitioner’s prayers were not contained in the petition and thereby suggested that the petition be regularised.

The petition was adjourned till April 14, 2021 for mention. The Oyo State Judicial Panel ordered that a fresh hearing notice be issued and served on the respondent’s counsel.

4. Case No. OYJPPB/040

Mr Adeyemi Adeniran v Nigeria Police, Alabebe Police Station. The petitioner was absent and was not represented by a legal counsel. Meanwhile, the respondent was absent and was not represented.

Mrs Oluwafolake Ogundele, the Oyo State Judicial Panel’s counsel said that she sent the first text message to the petitioner on the 1st of February, 2021 and called his number on the 2nd of February, 2021 but there was no response. She said she then sent the hearing notice via email and text message on the same day. She also said that she called him on the 22nd of February, 2021 to inform him that his matter was slated for 24th of February but he did not answer the call, and so she sent a text message. She said that she sent another text message on the 5th of March, 2021 to inform the petitioner that his petition was slated for today but there was no response. She said that she reached out to him again yesterday afternoon but he didn’t respond.

She concluded that those were the efforts she had made to inform the petitioner that his case was before the panel but there had never been a response from his end, and he had never appeared before the panel on the three occasions, that his matter came up.

With this, petition OYJPPB/040 was struck out for lack of diligent prosecution by the Oyo State Judicial Panel.

5. Case No. OYJPPB/053

Mr Samuel Ogundeji v The Nigeria Police, Saki Area Command. The petitioner was absent because he was excused by the panel at the last adjourned date due to his sight. However, he was represented by Opeyemi Makinde (Esq.) and Stephen David (Esq.). Meanwhile, the respondent was absent and was not represented at the sitting.

The Oyo State Judicial Panel advised the petitioner’s counsels to have a second look at the petition and make amendments where necessary.

With the approval of the petitioner’s counsels, the petition was adjourned by the Oyo State Judicial Panel till April 22, 2021 for definite hearing. The panel ordered that a fresh hearing notice be issued and served on the respondent.

6. Case No. OYJPPB/067

Mr Seye Brodiemenas v Nigeria Police, SARS Dugbe. The petitioner was present and was represented by Adesile Obasa (Esq.) and Timileyin Olugbade (Esq.). The respondent was absent and was not represented.

However, Mrs Oluwafolake Ogundele; the Oyo State Judicial Panel’s counsel pointed out that the respondent had been served but declined appearance on the said matter at the last adjourned date which was 25th of February, 2021.

The Oyo State Judicial Panel said that CSP Funke Fawole declined her appearance because the names of the erring officers were not mentioned in the petition. With this, the panel advised the petitioner’s counsel to regularise the petition by providing the names of the erring officers in order to make the work easier for all the parties involved.

In response, the petitioner’s counsel said that the petitioner had identified two officers by their nick names and their ranks as at the time of the incident. He said the names would be inserted into the petition before the next adjourned date.

The petition was adjourned by the Oyo State Judicial Panel till March 24, 2021 for mention to enable the petitioner’s counsel regularise the petition.

7. Case No. OYJPPB/074

Mr Babalola Kamorudeen Soladoye v Unknown Protesters. The petitioner was present and was represented by S. S. Akingbade.

The Oyo State Judicial Panel advised the petitioner to make all relevant documents available on the next adjourned date. With this, the petition was adjourned till April 15, 2021 for definite hearing.

8. Case No. OYJPPB/075

Mrs Oluwatoyin Oseni v The Nigeria Police, Ikeja Police Command. The petitioner was present and was represented by Temitope Adesiyan (Esq.). Meanwhile, the respondent was absent at the sitting.

The Oyo State Judicial Panel’s counsel, Mrs Oluwafolake Ogundele told the panel that the Police Officer in Charge Legal Oyo State, CSP Funke Fawole declined appearance on the said matter, and that the petition dated 18th November, 2020 was served on the legal section of the command in Panti, Lagos State but it was rejected because it doesn’t contain the names of erring officers. She said that the petition was redrafted to include the names of two officers but it was also rejected by the legal section in Lagos State with the explanation that the Special Tactical Squad mentioned in the petition is a unit in Abuja and not in

However, the petitioner’s counsel, Temitope Adesiyan (Esq.), told the panel that the unit is in Lagos as she had gone there with the petitioner in 2018 when the incident happened. She said it appeared that the Ikeja Police Command was evading the panel. She therefore made an application that the petition dated 18th November, 2021 be struck out and substituted with the petition dated 4th of March, 2021.

With this the petition dated November 18, 2020 but filed on February 25, 2021 was struck out by the Oyo State Judicial Panel and substituted with the petition dated March 4, 2021 and filed March 5, 2021. The petition was adjourned till March 24, 2021 for mention to enable the petitioner regularise the petition.

9. Case No. OYJPPB/086

Akeem Babatunde and Abiola Babatunde v Inspector General of Police and Three Others. The first petitioner was present while the second petitioner was absent. Abiodun Ogunjimi (Esq.) appeared on behalf of the petitioners. Meanwhile, the respondents were absent and not represented.

Mrs Oluwafolake Ogundele, the Oyo State Judicial Panel’s counsel said that the petition had appeared for the first time today and the processes were served on the Police Officer in Charge Legal on the 26th of February, 2021 but she was yet to respond.

The petition was adjourned till April 13, 2021 for mention. The Oyo State Judicial Panel also ordered that a fresh hearing notice be issued and served on the Police Officer in Charge Legal, CSP Funke Fawole.

10. Case No. OYJPPB/087

Adejumo Lekan Isaac v Nigeria Police, Ogbomoso Area Command. The petitioner was present and was represented by A. I. Olaosebikan (Esq.). The respondent was absent and was not represented.

The Oyo State Judicial Panel’s counsel, Mrs Oluwafolake Ogundele said that the respondent was served with the hearing notice and a copy of the petition on 26th February, 2021 but was yet to file a response.

A. I. Olaosebikan (Esq.), the petitioner’s counsel prayed the panel to excuse the petitioner from appearing before the panel until the petition is fixed for hearing because he is a student and he is still undergoing medical checkup and treatment.

The Oyo State Judicial Panel granted the application and the petitioner was excused from appearing before the panel until when the petition is to be heard. The petition was adjourned till March 24, 2021 for mention.

Having gone through the proceedings for today, the hearing was brought to a close at about 11:30am.