This is a report of the forty-third 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, May 6, 2021.
Today’s sitting commenced at about 9:12am, shortly after the arrival of the Oyo State Judicial Panel members.
Petitions for Further Hearing at the Oyo State Judicial Panel
1. Case No. OYJPPB/056
The Family of Late Kehinde Omotosho v The Nigeria Police, SCID, Iyaganku Ibadan. The family was represented by Ademola Omotosho but was not represented by a legal counsel. Meanwhile, the respondent was represented by Mr M. A. Ojeah.
Mrs Oluwafolake Ogundele, the counsel to the Oyo State Judicial Panel said that the petitioner’s counsel had sent in a letter to inform the panel that he would not be available because he was indisposed.
With this, the petition was adjourned by the Oyo State Judicial Panel till May 20, 2021.
2. Case No. OYJPPB/065
The Family of Late Waheed Olanrewaju v The DPO, Mokola Police Station. The petitioner was absent and was not represented by a legal counsel. Meanwhile, the respondent was represented by Mr M. A. Ojeah.
The petition was last adjourned to enable the respondent open his defence. However, due to the petitioner’s absence, Mr Ojeah prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel for an adjournment.
The petition was therefore adjourned by the Oyo State Judicial Panel till June 1, 2021 for further hearing.
3. Case No. OYJPPB/085
Temidire Planks Association v The Nigeria Police, Egbeda Station and Operation Burst. The petitioner was represented by Adeyemi Adeniji and a legal counsel, Toyosi Ayankoya (Esq.). The first respondent was represented by Mr M. A. Ojeah while the second respondent was represented by Mr Kayode K. Babalola.
The petitioner’s counsel, Toyosi Ayankoya (Esq.) told the Oyo State Judicial Panel to replace the petition dated 23rd of February, 2021 and filed on the 24th of February, 2021 with the petition dated 30th of April, 2021. She said that four witnesses are relevant to the petition.
The petition was slated for further hearing as one of the witnesses, Adeyemo Adeniji, had given his evidence at the last adjourned date.
With that, the second witness, Solomon Oyediran was invited to the witness stand and he was sworn on the Bible. The name of the second witness is Solomon Oyediran. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He is a business man. He works at Temidire Sawmill Planks Market, Kilometre 2, Idiroko, Opposite Gbagi Market, Ibadan. He prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel to adopt his written statement on oath which was deposed on the 30th of April, 2021.
He said that he was in the market selling when some officers of the Force led by the then Oyo State Commissioner for Environment, Lowo Obisesan came to the market to chase the traders away and threaten to close down the market because the land belonged to the government. He said that the market was demolished the next day. He said that he was thereafter arrested in his home and detained for some days.
He said that the land in question was given to the association by the Oyo State Government and there was no violence prior to when they were told to vacate the market.
The witness was cross examined by the respondents’ counsels and the members of the Oyo State Judicial Panel.
Thereafter, the third witness, Lukman Boye was therefore invited to the witness stand and was sworn on the Bible. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel to adopt his written statement on oath dated 30th of April, 2021 as his evidence.
He said that the incident in question happened at about 11am in the month of July, 2018. He said that because the members of the association refused to vacate the market, the police officers were shooting sporadically to disperse them. He said that he was on the other side of the market because the police had prevented them from entering the market.
He said that due to the shooting, they had to run to safety and it was in this process that one of the bullets hit him in the head. He said that he opened his eyes in the hospital the next day and did not know what happened afterwards.
He said that he was taken to Saving Life Hospital, Alarere where he underwent a minor surgery. He said that the members of the association took care of his medical bills. He therefore prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel to compensate him with the sum of N10 million.
The petitioner’s counsel, Toyosi Ayankoya (Esq.) tendered photographs of the petitioner while he was in the hospital before the Oyo State Judicial Panel, and they were marked and admitted as exhibits. With that, he was cross examined by the respondents’ counsels and the members of the Oyo State Judicial Panel.
The last witness, Adigun Olubunmi Omolara was then invited to the witness stand and she was sworn on the Bible. She lives at (redacted) Ibadan. She is forty years old. She prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel to adopt her written statement on oath, which was deposed on the 30th of April, 2021 as her evidence.
She said that she was in the market on the day of the incident and Lukman Boye was shot in the head. She said that the police officers had approached the market to instruct the traders to vacate the market because the land belongs to the government. She said that because they refused to leave the market, they were beaten and detained. She said that she was beaten, pushed to the floor and this led to her miscarriage as she was heavily pregnant with triplets at the time of the incident.
She prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel to compensate her with the sum of N5 million naira because she suffered greatly in the hands of the officers of the police force.
The petitioner’s counsel, Toyosi Ayankoya (Esq.) therefore tendered the relevant medical documents before the Oyo State Judicial Panel and they were marked and admitted as exhibits. With that, the witness was cross examined by the respondents’ counsels and the members of the Oyo State Judicial Panel.
Thereafter, the petition was adjourned sine die.
Petitions for Hearing at the Oyo State Judicial Panel
4. Case No. OYJPPB/058
Comrade Sulayman Adeniyi and Comrade Adebayo Olanrewaju v IGP/Intelligence Response Team. The petitioners were present and were represented by W. A. Lamidi (Esq.). Meanwhile, the respondent was absent and was not represented by a legal counsel.
The petitioner’s counsel, Mr Lamidi told the Oyo State Judicial Panel that he would present five witnesses before the panel. He said that he had filed the written statements of the two petitioners but was yet to file the written statements of the three other witnesses.
In view of this, the petition was adjourned by the Oyo State Judicial Panel till June 1, 2021 to enable the petitioners’ counsel, Mr Lamidi file the written statement on oath of the other three witnesses.
5. Case No. OYJPPB/076
The Family of Gbolahan Samuel Adedoyin v Operation Burst. The family was represented by Adedoyin Samson and was represented by a legal counsel, A. T. Onikosi (Esq.). Meanwhile, the respondent was represented by Mr Kayode K. Babalola.
The first witness, Oladele Olutayo was invited to the witness stand and he was sworn on the Bible. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He is 25 years old. He was a friend to the Late Gbolahan Samuel Adedoyin. He prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel to adopt his written statement on oath which he deposed on the 5th of May, 2021.
The petition was written because the deceased, Gbolahan Samuel Adedoyin was shot dead by the men of Operation Burst, when he was on his way back from a club. He said that he went to the club with the deceased at about 10:30pm and they left at about 5am the next day. He said that they had gone to the club to have fun but they didn’t take any alcohol. He said when they were approached by the men of the Operation Burst, they didn’t run because they had done nothing wrong. He said that on getting to where they were, he heard one of the officers say ‘na dem be that’.
He said that his friend was shot dead by the officers of Operation Burst in the tragic incident that happened on the 24th of October, 2020.
He was cross examined by the respondent’s counsel, Mr Babalola and members of the Oyo State Judicial Panel.
Thereafter, the second witness, Michael Adebiyi Ishola was invited to the witness stand and he was sworn on the Bible. He lives at (redacted) Ibadan. He is 64 years old. He was the deceased’s uncle. He is a photographer to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan. He prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel to adopt his written statement on oath which was deposed on the 4th of May, 2021 as his evidence.
He said that he took the pictures of the deceased with a phone before he was buried. He said that he did not witness how the deceased was killed, but he was informed about the incident on the phone. He said that he was fully involved in the embalmment and burial process. He said that there is no medical report to prove that the deceased was killed by a gunshot. He prayed the Oyo State Judicial Panel to compensate the family with the sum of N20 million.
The petitioner’s counsel, Mr Onikosi tendered the photographs of the deceased which were taken before he was buried, before the Oyo State Judicial Panel and they were marked and admitted as exhibits.
The witness was cross examined by the respondent’s counsel, Mr Babalola and the members of the Oyo State Judicial Panel. With this, the petition was adjourned sine die.
6. Case No. OYJPPB/093
Re: Mr Olatunde Gbenga for Financial Assistance. The petitioner was absent and was not represented by a legal counsel.
The counsel to the Oyo State Judicial Panel, Mrs Oluwafolake Ogundele said that the petitioner’s counsel had sent in a letter to inform the panel that he would not be available because he was indisposed.
With this, the petition was adjourned by the Oyo State Judicial Panel till June 1, 2021 for definite hearing.
Having gone through the proceedings for today, the hearing was brought to a close at about 2:00pm.