President Muhammadu Buhari has spoken on the judicial panels of enquiry set up by state governments to examine allegations of police brutality, saying the Federal Government is waiting for the submitted reports of the sub-nationals before taking action.
President Buhari said this when he hosted Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday, according to a statement issued by Femi Adesina, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.
The panels of inquiry were constituted following a directive by the National Economic Council (NEC) as a result of the #EndSARS protest that rocked the country in October 2020.
The panels in Rivers, Delta, Ogun and Lagos states have submitted their report to their respective state governments. In addition, the panel in Lagos also submitted a report on the Lekki Toll Gate shooting of October 20, 2020, which stated that #EndSARS protesters were killed in the incident and designated the activities of the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force on that fateful night as a massacre.
President Buhari, according to the statement, told Blinken that state governments will have to take steps on the reports of their panels, before the federal government acts on the recommendations.
“So many state governments are involved, and have given different terms of reference to the probe panels.
“We at the federal have to wait for the steps taken by the states, and we have to allow the system to work. We can’t impose ideas on them. Federal government has to wait for the reaction of the states,” the statement quoted the president as saying.
The US Secretary of State was quoted by Adesina to have described the report of the #EndSARS probe panel as “democracy in action”, saying he looks forward to necessary reforms within security agencies.
The Nigerian President also expressed his appreciation to the US for its support in the sale of military weapons to Nigeria to fight insecurity.
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