We’ve Provided AGF Sufficient Materials To Prosecute Indicted SARS Officials — NHRC

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it has provided
the Attorney General (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami
all relevant materials needed to prosecute the 33 ex-operatives of
the now scrapped Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) indicted for
impunity and rights abuses in a report recently submitted by a
Presidential Investigation Panel constituted by the NHRC.

NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu stated this while
reacting to report that the office of the AGF claimed there were
insufficient evidence to prosecute the affected operatives and
requested the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to set
up “a special investigation team” to conduct “thorough
investigation” on the cases.

Ojukwu noted that the two issues raised by the AGF as
impediments to prosecuting the indicted operatives were that he has
not received the original case files and that some of the police
officers must first be dismissed by the Police Service Commission
(PSC) before they could be prosecuted, “which is procedural.”

He added: “We have worked on those conditions. We have sent all
the original cases files, not only to him (the AGF), but to all the
states, because the law says it is either the Attorney General of
the Federation or the Attorney General of the states.

“There are about 13 states involved, and I can assure you that
we have dispersed all the original case files to all the 13 states.
Secondly, we have submitted the list of these officers, with other
necessary documents to both the Police Service Commission and the
Inspector General of Police.

“So, they need to do the needful. Moving forward, I expect that,
once these internal procedures are tidied up, they should be able
to do what they are supposed to do. This is because, as at today,
we have sorted out these two obstacles identified by the AGF.”

Ojukwu, who frowned at the excesses of security agents in their
relations with the people, and their reluctance to subject
themselves to the law, insisted that members of the various
security agencies must learn to comply with their rules of
engagement.

He noted that one of the major challenges of democracy and human
rights protection in the country is that most people still manifest
military mentality, while security agents feel they could operate
unchallenged.

“The law enforcement agents still keep feeling that nobody
should challenge them,” Ojukwu noted, adding that it was time they
realise that, in a democracy, despite the importance of their duty
of keeping the society safe, they must operate within the confines
of existing laws and the rules of engagement which they made for
themselves.

Ojukwu, who sought more funding for his commission to enable it
to effectively deliver on its mandates, noted that the debate over
whether or not the government should regulate the use of social
media was unnecessary. He noted that the issues of freedom of
expression and access to social media are constitutional
matters.

On the argument that there are sufficient laws to punish social
media abuses, Ojukwu argued that it was within the right of the
government, in a democracy, to seek to push through some policies,
while the people also reserve the right to push counter
arguments.

“We are expecting that there would be a public hearing on any
Bill to regulate social media. Certainly we would be there to
defend the right of Nigerians to free press as enshrined in the
Constitution. There have been attempts before and public hearings
were conducted.

“What we encourage is responsible media engagement. We do not
encourage irresponsible use of social media. And, there are
mechanisms to hold anybody who is irresponsible on social media
accountable.

“What we do not support is a situation where people are
irresponsible on social media and still, they do not want to be
held accountable. Your right stops where my own begins. So, if you
decide to use social media to overstep my own right, then I have a
right to call you to account.

“It is the same thing for the government too. If any person
oversteps his bound through social media, the government has the
right to call that person to account. We encourage people to
exercise their right, whether to social media or to the
conventional media. But that right has to be exercised responsibly.
And if any person crosses the line, I think that person should be
held accountable,” Ojukwu said.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said it has provided
the Attorney General (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami
all relevant materials needed to prosecute the 33 ex-operatives of
the now scrapped Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) indicted for
impunity and rights abuses in a report recently submitted by a
Presidential Investigation Panel constituted by the NHRC.

NHRC’s Executive Secretary, Tony Ojukwu stated this while
reacting to report that the office of the AGF claimed there were
insufficient evidence to prosecute the affected operatives and
requested the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to set
up “a special investigation team” to conduct “thorough
investigation” on the cases.

Ojukwu noted that the two issues raised by the AGF as
impediments to prosecuting the indicted operatives were that he has
not received the original case files and that some of the police
officers must first be dismissed by the Police Service Commission
(PSC) before they could be prosecuted, “which is procedural.”

He added: “We have worked on those conditions. We have sent all
the original cases files, not only to him (the AGF), but to all the
states, because the law says it is either the Attorney General of
the Federation or the Attorney General of the states.

“There are about 13 states involved, and I can assure you that
we have dispersed all the original case files to all the 13 states.
Secondly, we have submitted the list of these officers, with other
necessary documents to both the Police Service Commission and the
Inspector General of Police.

“So, they need to do the needful. Moving forward, I expect that,
once these internal procedures are tidied up, they should be able
to do what they are supposed to do. This is because, as at today,
we have sorted out these two obstacles identified by the AGF.”

Ojukwu, who frowned at the excesses of security agents in their
relations with the people, and their reluctance to subject
themselves to the law, insisted that members of the various
security agencies must learn to comply with their rules of
engagement.

He noted that one of the major challenges of democracy and human
rights protection in the country is that most people still manifest
military mentality, while security agents feel they could operate
unchallenged.

“The law enforcement agents still keep feeling that nobody
should challenge them,” Ojukwu noted, adding that it was time they
realise that, in a democracy, despite the importance of their duty
of keeping the society safe, they must operate within the confines
of existing laws and the rules of engagement which they made for
themselves.

Ojukwu, who sought more funding for his commission to enable it
to effectively deliver on its mandates, noted that the debate over
whether or not the government should regulate the use of social
media was unnecessary. He noted that the issues of freedom of
expression and access to social media are constitutional
matters.

On the argument that there are sufficient laws to punish social
media abuses, Ojukwu argued that it was within the right of the
government, in a democracy, to seek to push through some policies,
while the people also reserve the right to push counter
arguments.

“We are expecting that there would be a public hearing on any
Bill to regulate social media. Certainly we would be there to
defend the right of Nigerians to free press as enshrined in the
Constitution. There have been attempts before and public hearings
were conducted.

“What we encourage is responsible media engagement. We do not
encourage irresponsible use of social media. And, there are
mechanisms to hold anybody who is irresponsible on social media
accountable.

“What we do not support is a situation where people are
irresponsible on social media and still, they do not want to be
held accountable. Your right stops where my own begins. So, if you
decide to use social media to overstep my own right, then I have a
right to call you to account.

“It is the same thing for the government too. If any person
oversteps his bound through social media, the government has the
right to call that person to account. We encourage people to
exercise their right, whether to social media or to the
conventional media. But that right has to be exercised responsibly.
And if any person crosses the line, I think that person should be
held accountable,” Ojukwu said.