There are errors in leaked Lagos #EndSARS report, says panel member

A member of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Enquiry on #EndSARS, Mr. Temitope Majekodunmi, has expressed disappointment over the leakage of the report submitted to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday.

Hours after the panel submitted its report and a white paper committee set up by the governor, the report got leaked to the public.

In the leaked report, the panel indicted the Nigerian Army for shooting at protesters on October 20, 2020 and confirmed that 11 people died. However, there has been disquiet over the report which has not been officially released to the public.

Majekodunmi, a member of the panel who represented the youth, however disowned the leaked report, saying the only report he is aware of “is that we have submitted.”

According to him, the leaked report could be one of those the panel was vetting prior to the presentation of the report to the state governor. However, he clarified that the contents of the leaked report “is not far from the original”, adding that some corrections were made in the original one.

Speaking in an interview on ARISE TV on Wednesday, Majekodunmi stated that the leaked report did not emanate from any member of the panel.

He said, “There are no two reports. The only report we have is that, that we have submitted to the appointing authority on the 15th of November 2021. The leaked report, like I have dropped a statement yesterday, could be one of the ones we were vetting to reach a very conclusive report because we had reasons as a panel to vet repeatedly our report, to ensure that it is void of any error.

“It is worrisome for us that we had it leaked. I, as the youth rep, was very surprised. We were still at Alausa that very evening when the leaked copy was already in circulation. But then, we felt that it only speaks to more accountability. Like I had been saying before now, that the content of the leaked report is not far from the original. The facts are same but maybe in the original, most of these errors are corrected.

“I am very confident to repeat it that we were fair, just and the report only speaks to our level of independence and how we have done this without bias. I am the youth rep, we were the main reason why this panel is in place, because of our agitations and all of that but when we had the privilege to sit on the panel, we consistently would tell other panelists that it is not about saying that one person is right or one person is wrong. It is that the panel is saddled with the responsibility to restore peace and hope in the society and that is what this report has confirmed,” he said.

Former Federal Commissioner for Works and lawyer, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, however, advised that people should wait for the report duly signed by the panel Chairman and other members.

“That will be the authentic report of the panel. The government cannot hide it because members of the government have their own signed copies. So the report should be published,” he said.

He also berated the government for attempting to quell the protest on #EndSARS, recalling how he participated in several protests in his days.

“I now walk with walking stick. But for that, I could have been at the Toll Gate myself last year to demonstrate against the government for several iniquities; not only Lagos state Government but Federal Government,” he added.

(Daily Trust)