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Prominent lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), has alleged that hoodlums have attacked and macheted an #EndSARS protester, Kamsiyochukwu Ibe, whom he said testified before the Lagos judicial panel over the role of the military and police in the shooting or protesters at Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.
Adegboruwa, who was a member of the panel, disclosed this in a post on his Facebook page.
In the post entitled, ‘Nigerians should hold government responsible if anything happens to me,’ the senior advocate alleged that his life is being threatened since the submission of the report of the Lagos #EndSARS panel which claimed that at least nine persons were killed at the Lekki toll gate when soldiers used live ammunition to disperse protesters on October 20, 2020.
The Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel had last Monday submitted its report to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who subsequently constituted a committee to bring forth a white paper within the next two weeks to be considered by the Lagos State Executive Council.
The 309-page report said: “The atrocious maiming and killing of unarmed, helpless and unresisting protesters while sitting on the floor and waving their Nigerian flags and while singing the National Anthem can be equated to a massacre in context.”
Some lawyers and agents representing the state government including Abiodun Owonikoko, have, however, faulted the report of the panel, noting that the report contained 40 discrepancies.
But Adegboruwa, who represented the civil society organisation on the panel, said members of the panel are being unfairly persecuted by some government officials.
“Since the submission of the report of the Lagos #EndSARS panel, there have been lots of threats and attacks, by those suspected to be agents of the government, upon me, especially in the media.
“I have not committed any crime beyond joining other eminent Nigerians with unblemished integrity, to accept the nomination of government on behalf of my constituency, the Nigerian Bar Association and the civil society and the indeed the masses of our people, for a national assignment.
“Two prominent lawyers of the government have openly incited opinions against me on national television, with mindless accusations.I have however refused to be intimidated or bend to the tactics of government to be silenced.
“I urge the good people of Nigeria, my professional colleagues in the Nigerian Bar Association, my comrades in the civil rights movement and the people of Nigeria, to hold government responsible should anything happen to me.
“Just last night, one of the prominent EndSARS protesters who testified before the Panel, Miss Kamsiyochukwu Ibe, was attacked and dealt serious machete blows, in what was clearly an attempted murder, as reported by her counsel, with very disturbing photos.
“I heeded the clarion call to serve by the government with the honest believe that the Panel was meant to say the truth and nothing but the truth, which is what we have done. It is left for government and Nigerians to do the needful with the report of the Panel,” Adegboruwa said.