The Independent Investigative Panel on allegations of human rights violations by the disbanded special anti-robbery squad and other Units of the Nigeria Police Force (IIP-SARS), Thursday held an executive session and considered 35 petitions on judgment debts.
According to a statement by the commission Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Fatimah Agwai Mohammed, the judgment debts of about ₦452 million were considered on petitions with monetary compensation ranging from the award of the sum of ₦120,000 to ₦135 million. Petitions bothering on extrajudicial killing, unlawful arrest and detention, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and torture, alleged enforced disappearance, confiscation of property, etc were considered.
However, the purpose of the executive session was to fast-track the process of payment of compensations to victims of human rights violations with court judgments that have not been paid by the police.
The Chairman of the Panel Justice Sulaiman Galadima (rtd) presided over the executive session on petitions relating to the enforcement of judicial decisions /awards.
Core Reporters report that this is the second time the panel is considering petitions on judgment debts. The first was in March 2021, where 20 petitions on judgment debts amounting to ₦575.8m were considered. And some of them have been paid and others are in the process of being paid.
The Secretary to the Panel who also doubles as the Human Rights Adviser to the Executive Secretary Mr. Hillary Ogbonna disclosed that today (Thursday’s executive session considered 35 petitions on non-adherence to court judgment by the police.
He said, “judgment debts of about ₦452 million were considered on petitions with monetary compensation ranging from the award of the sum of ₦120,000 to ₦135 million. Petitions bothering on extrajudicial killing, unlawful arrest and detention, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and torture, alleged enforced disappearance, confiscation of property, etc were considered.”
“It is worthy to note that the executive session is only to deliberate on petitions with judgments from the federal and state high courts. It will also look at the authenticity of such judgments as well as ensure that no appeal has been made on the petitions before they are considered for payments, taking into consideration the genuineness of the documents presented before the panel,” Ogbonna added.
“The panel believes that the victims of human rights violations who got court judgments should be paid. The move to ensure that these debts are paid is simply to entrench the rule of law by giving the victims who have suffered emotional psychological and physical trauma what is their legal entitlements and to forestall further delay in the dispensation of justice. “Justice delayed is justice denied” he emphasized.
Apart from assisting the victims of human rights violations to get their compensation Mr. Ogbonna said the panel has also taken a decision to order the police authority to issue apologies to some of the petitioners who have issuance of apology as part of their compensation.
