Hamzat Lawal: White paper on Lagos #EndSARS report an outcome of impunity

Hamzat Lawal, activist and chief executive of Connected Development (CODE), has described the white paper on the #EndSARS report as an outcome of impunity.

On November 30, the Lagos government released a white paper on the recommendations of the judicial panel set up to probe cases of police brutality and investigate the Lekki incident.

In the white paper, the Lagos government accepted 11 out of the 32 recommendations of the panel, rejected one and accepted six with modifications.

On the deaths recorded in the judicial panel report, the white-paper committee said the details in the document are insufficient to hold that the victims listed in the panel report were killed at the Lekki tollgate.

Reacting to this issue on Friday at The Convergence 3.0, an event held by Yiaga, a civil society group, Lawal said it saddens him that government can perpetrate impunity without consequences.

He said the judicial panel put together by the Lagos government did a great job but the government decided to shove their efforts under the carpet.

The activist said for impunity to be defeated in the country, the rule of law must be respected by all citizens.

“Today, we have leaders who are not accountable; we have leaders who are looting our treasury, we have leaders who have promised a lot but have not given anything to the Nigerian people,” he said.

“The one that saddens me is the fact that there are no consequence to most of their actions. The rule of law has now taken a backseat, and without the rule of law, that means it’s a free for all, where impunity is the order of the day and this is what we are experiencing in Nigeria.

“#EndSARS was an outcome of impunity, the so called white report by the governor of Lagos state is an outcome of impunity. The panel did a great job to try and provide closure but because of impunity and lack of consequences, it’s obvious that the Nigeria military and the government of Lagos and federal government will get away with killing innocent people.

“The only solution for me is when we respect the rule of law and when we ensure that the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria is above everyone and people are relatively not above the law.”

Speaking on the objectives of The Convergence, Lawal said the initiative, which is organised to train and equip youths aspiring for public office, will further embed participants with values and principles that will build them into responsible public office holders.

“All of us in this room, over 300 of us and the leadership of the #nottooyoungtorun movement, we are conscious of the fact that young people and aspiring politicians are embedded with those values,” he said.

“That’s why we are providing generational solidarity to one another that this value embedded in us are transferred to this young politicians, most importantly, we are also able to guide them and equip them and ensure that we agree that when you’re in public office, there are some values you must embed and principles that must guard your delivery to the promises you have made and oath you have taken.”