Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry has awarded monetary compensations to two petitioners who were victims of police brutality.
The panel was set up last year after hundreds of Nigerians protested nationwide against years of police brutality especially focused on the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of Nigeria Police Force.
The panel was mandated to hear petitions from alleged victims and ensure they get justice through prosecution of offenders, and compensation as a form of relief for the victims.
The Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel on Friday, February 19, 2021 awarded 10 million each to Hannah Olugbodi, and Adebayo Abayomi.
Olugbodi previously told the panel about how a stray police bullet had hit her leg in 2018, when officers were trying to extort some young men around Ijesha market.
The hairstylist spent six months at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and now walks with the aid of a crutch.
Meanwhile, Abayomi’s compensation was awarded on behalf of his mother, Kudirat, who was killed by a stray bullet fired by SARS officers who were attempting to arrest internet fraudsters in 2017.
More details to come.
