Lagos Govt Knocks Keyamo Over Comment On Judicial Panel

The Lagos State Government has disagreed with the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, over his comment on the state Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters.

Naija News had reported that the minister had in an interview on a programme on Channels TV last Sunday, said that the Justice Okuwobi-led panel set up by the Lagos government was illegal.

Keyamo claimed that the panel lacks the legal power to investigate men of the Nigerian Police and the Army, adding that the two agencies are answerable to the Federal Government and not the state government.

He had said: “I will not answer this question as a sitting minister. I will answer this question as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and so, I am entitled to my own opinion. This is not the Federal Government’s position. For me, that panel was an illegal panel”.

But in an appearance on Arise News on Wednesday, Lagos Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General of the state, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), said the minister was wrong for describing the state judicial panel as illegal.

Onigbanjo submitted that the panel which was set up by the state government was in line with the directive of the National Executive Council (NEC).

The commissioner stated that the NEC had directed state governments to set up judicial panels to investigate the cases of police brutality across the country.

Onigbanjo, therefore, said that the remarks of the minister were flawed in logic and law, adding that the panel is legal and constitutional.

Reacting to the rejection of the Peace walk invite by some notable personalities in the state, Onigbanjo said those that rejected the peace walk invitation did not wait for the release of the White Paper before making their decision.

He, however, said the state government will reach out to them in order to change their decision.