The Executive Secretary, National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Tony Ojukwu, has disclosed that 103 complaints of alleged human rights violations were received by the Presidential Panel on the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Ojukwu, who is also the chairman of the presidential panel, made this known on Monday at the second sitting of the panel for the North-Central zone held at FCT High Court, Maitama, Abuja.
According to him, out of the 103 complaints, the panel received 37 from the North-Central zone, 37 from the South-West, 16 from the South-South, 9 from the South-East, 3 from the North-East and 1 complaint from the North-West.
He explained further that hearing had been concluded on 51 complaints, while 52 complaints were still pending. “Out the number pending, 29 were part heard, while 23 were fresh complaints,” he said.
The NHRC Executive Secretary disclosed that the public hearing of the Panel on SARS has yielded remarkable positive results in the Squad’s operations as he pointed out “that the public hearings also serve as an avenue to sensitise public and SARS operatives.
“It is interesting to note that the public hearing of the presidential panel on alleged cases of human rights violations against SARS has started yielding some remarkable positive results in the way SARS operatives now carry out their operations.
“There are instances where on the spot investigation over complaints that had lingered before the police were resolved by the panel leading to the recovery of cars allegedly auctioned by some SARS officers without due process.
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“There are also cases where property seized or houses locked up by SARS have been released to their owners, among others,” he said.
Ojukwu, disclosed that since the constitution of the panel by NHRC on the request of the then Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, it had held four sittings in Abuja, Lagos, Owerri and Gombe, identifying some of the challenges face by the panel to included the failure of the police in some cases to conduct post-mortem examination on suspects alleged to have died in police custody; failure of complainants to appear before the panel due to victimisation, intimidation and threats issued to them by some SARS operatives as well as unwillingness of complainants to appear despite assurances of their safety by the panel.
He, however, warned that any case of intimidation of complainants or witnesses will be viewed seriously by the panel.
He called on the Inspector-General of Police to assist and ensure that all complainants before the panel are not molested in anyway by SARS or police officers whose cases are before the panel.
