Lagos State Government has released a white paper where it disagreed with the report submitted by the State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters.
The white paper was released on Tuesday, the 30th of December night in accordance with the promise made by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu earlier in the day.
In the white paper, the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration disagreed with the judicial panel of inquiry and rejected its earlier submission that 9 people were killed at the Lekki Toll Gate.
The deaths occurred on the 20th of October last year when police opened fire on unarmed youths who staged a protested for an end to the brutal Special Anti-Robbery Squad and to general bad governance.
The Lagos State government, in the white paper described the claim of killings by the panel as “assumptions and speculations.”
At the end of the panel sitting presided over by Justice Doris Okuwobi, the team submitted its report 2 weeks ago.
The report indicated that not less than 9 of the unarmed youth protesters were killed when men in army uniform opened fire on them. The protesters were only waiving the Nigerian flag and singing the National anthem.
Reports add that while the panel made 32 recommendations, the Lagos State Government, according to the white paper accepted on 11.
One recommendation was totally rejected while six others were accepted with amendments.
14 out of the recommendations were said to be beyond the powers of the Lagos State Government and have been scheduled to be forwarded to the Federal Government for action.
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