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) have set aside Thursday, March 10th for an executive session to consider petitions on judgment debts.
The purpose of the executive session is 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.
Enforcement of judicial decisions
The Chairman of the Panel Justice Sulaiman Galadima (rtd) presided over the executive session on petitions relating to the enforcement of judicial decisions.
A press statement by the Deputy Director Public Affairs National Human Right Commission Mrs Fatimah Agwai recalled that, “this is the second time the panel is considering petitions on judgment debts.”
“The first one was in March 2021, where 20 petitions on judgment debts amounting to the tune of ₦575.8m were considered. Some of them have been paid and others are in the process of payment,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Secretary to the Panel who also doubles as the Human Rights Adviser to the Executive Secretary Mr. Hillary Ogbonna disclosed that the executive session considered 35 petitions on non-adherence to court judgment by the police.
Monetary compensation
He said 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.
He said, petitions bothering on extrajudicial killing, unlawful arrest and detention, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment and torture, alleged enforced disappearance, confiscation of property, among others, were considered.
“It is worthy of note that the executive session will only deliberate on petitions with judgments from the federal and state high courts,” he said.
Genuineness of the documents
“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 stated.
“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 emphasised.
Apart from assisting the victims of human rights violations to get their compensation, Mr. Ogbonna said that the panel has also taken a decision to order the police authority to issue apologies to some of the petitioners who have issued apology as part of their compensation.
Lateefah Ibrahim
