The Lagos State judicial panel on restitution for victims of SARS related abuses and other matters sitting in Lagos today Friday 21st May, 2021 was showered with encomiums by a petitioner, the respondent and other parties for ordering an out of court settlement in a petition before it and is pending before a federal high court but which the petitioner had promised to discontinue by withdrawing the suit whenever the courts resume from it’s JUSUN strike and seek justice from the judicial panel.
In the case of prince Adewale Adewuyi vs the Nigeria police force, the petitioner counsel Mr. Debo Adeleke profusely thanked the Lagos State judicial panel for ordering the parties to settle the matter out of court which is being complied with by all parties as he said he wished the government can be gracious to make the panel a permanent body for the resolution of conflicts which should not be burdened the courts with.
Recall that prince Adewale Adewuyi who was brought to the Lagos State judicial panel sitting bedridden, is the owner of a 26 acres of farmland in Badagry Lagos which Nigeria police force encroached upon in December 17, 2013. He had petitioned the panel to compel the IGP and AIG Cooperative Nigeria police force to come before the panel to explain why they have brutalize him and encroached upon his land worth N800 million.
Consequent upon which the court granted a witness summons for the appearance of the IGP, AIG Cooperative Nigeria police force among others. But when the matter came up for hearing at one of the panel sittings, it was highlighted that the petitioner had sued the Nigeria police force for the enforcement of his fundamental human right and the panel had made it clear that it will amount to judicial rascality to sit on a matter pending before the court.
Thereafter, the counsel to the petitioner pleaded with the judicial panel to use it’s powers to order parties to settle out of court just as he promised to withdraw his suit once the courts resume from the judicial workers strike and this made the panel to admonish parties in the suit which included the IGP, AIG Cooperative Nigeria police force, Surveyor General of Lagos State, private developer of Police estate among others to settle out of court.
The panel then advised the parties to seek an amicable resolution of the issues in the petition outside of the court, of which the parties appeared before the panel today to report that they are making tremendous progress in the assignment as all parties are cooperating and pleaded with the panel to grant it just one more adjournment to finalize the remaining grey areas.
The panel thereafter adjourned the matter to 4th of June 2021 for the parties to report back on the settlement reached.
Of other 11 cases listed before the panel today, it was able to take hearings on 9 others with the Adewuyi case, with 2 cases unable to come up for hearing due to time constraints. The panel sitting continues.
