Imo State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, probing cases of police brutality, has recommended that 125 petitioners should be compensated after being brutalized by men of the Nigerian police force.
This was revealed by the secretary to the panel, Mr. Isaac Oguzie.
He said 20 petitions were struck out for lacking in merit while nine memos were received from interested stakeholders.
The panel received a total of 154 petitions and was led by Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe led panel.
The memos, according to Oguzie, were from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), Youth for Positive Action, and Students Union Government.
Others were from local government areas and the police whose facilities were destroyed during the protests.
The secretary revealed that the army also snubbed summons to testify on petitions against them by communities in Mbaitoli Local Government Area.
He added, however, that though the police were represented by their counsel, all the police officers mentioned in various petitions refused to appear.
Mr. Isaac revealed that the 125 people would be awarded monetary compensation in various sums and for the wrongs they suffered in the hands of police officers.
“Though the panel recommended the monetary awards, it’s left for the government to decide,” he added.
The commission was inaugurated on November 3 2020 and concluded its assignment on May 4, 2021
