Lekki Tollgate Massacre: Lagos EndSARS Panel illegal – Keyamo

Lekki Tollgate Massacre: Lagos EndSARS Panel illegal – Keyamo

Festus Keyamo (SAN), Minister of State for Labour and Employment, has called the Lagos State EndSARS panel “illegal.”

Keyamo further argued that investigating Federal Government institutions and officers of the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Army was outside of their jurisdiction.

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that this was mentioned by the minister during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.

SERAP To Sue Buhari Over EndSARS Panel Report

At least nine people were killed on October 20, 2020, when military and policemen attacked the Lekki tollgate to disperse #EndSARS demonstrations, according to the panel’s report, which called the incident a “massacre in context.”

However, Keyamo was pressed on why President Muhammadu Buhari called for the formation of panels across the country to investigate accusations of human rights violations, but the Lagos panel’s findings was later dismissed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

“As a serving minister, I will not answer this issue,” he stated. As a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a member of the Inner Bar, I am qualified to respond to this question.

This is not the position of the federal government. That panel, in my opinion, was unconstitutional. It was completely against the law.

“All lawyers listening to me should go back and read the Lagos State Tribunals of Enquiry Act.”

It states that the governor will have the authority to investigate the conduct of any person – emphasis added – as well as chieftaincy matters and any other subject that will benefit the public good.

“However, in Section 21, ‘any person’ was defined to include state public officers. It is described as someone who works for the Lagos State government or the local government, as the case may be.

“Then, at the end of Section 1, the word ‘any matter’ was used, implying that they can enquire into any matter.” People nowadays believe that inquiring about any issue entails being unrestricted.

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“However, if you look at Section 21 again, it states that it must fall within Lagos State’s legislative competence. In other words, the Lagos State can only investigate the conduct of persons over whom it has control. You can’t investigate my behavior if you don’t have control over me.

“Police officers, members of the Armed Forces, and military personnel are not employees or officers of Lagos State; they are employees or officers of the Federal Government.” 

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“Only the Federal Government has the power to regulate police and military behavior under the Constitution. Lagos State cannot be in charge; they are on the Exclusive Legislative List, hence they cannot legislate on police and military subjects.”