The Oyo State Judicial Panel sitting begun today, but allegations have begun flying about the Nigeria Police in Oyo State refusing to honour notices that were served to them by the Panel on petitions filed by residents over allegations of police brutality.
This revelation was made on Tuesday at the inaugural sitting of the Oyo State Judicial Panel; reporting that the panel had problems with hearing notices on 68 of the filed petitions.
The sitting took place at the House of Chiefs, Secretariat in Ibadan, where some of the petitioners were not present to prosecute their petitions while the ones that were present did not have the respondents in their matters present before the judicial panel.
Before the panel, it was alleged that the Nigeria Police dismissed service to present themselves for the defence before the panel on the petition when served.
One of such cases is that of an Olayiwola Oyedokun, a petitioner, against Police officers at Iyana Offa police station in Ibadan.
The legal officer notified the panel that the police at Iyana Offa declined to be served the panel summons.
There was also another case of an officer of the Nigerian Army, Adebayo Aderijo Samuel against the Nigeria Police where it was also alleged that the police declined to be served the summons.
Former Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Badejoko Adeniji, the Chairman of the panel, spoke on this development and the absence of the police at the sitting, he was disappointed at this uncivil attitude by the police and ordered pristine notices to be served to them.
Justice Adeniji said the panel would pay a visit to the new Commissioner of Police, Mrs Ngozi Onadeko, to let her know the importance of presenting representatives who will defend them before the panel.
Justice Adeniji, in her inaugural speech earlier, pledged that the panel would deliver on its duties without fear or favour.
Mr Yinka Esan, the Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), In his goodwill message, said that the association has instructed its members to provide free legal services to any petitioner who could not afford legal fees and advised members of the panel to carefully scrutinize the evidence before making their judgments.
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