Lagos State Government Releases White Paper on #EndSARS Judicial Panel Report (Document attached)

The Lagos State Government has released the White Paper on the State Judicial Panel of Inquiry report of #EndSARS protest in Lagos.

The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso disclosed this on Tuesday night.

He said the full document would be made available shortly.

A White Paper is an administrative medium for conveying the decision or position of the government on the report of an administrative or judicial enquiry.

The judicial panel had on November 15, 2021, submitted its reports – one, on cases of police brutality in the state and another on the incident of the shooting of protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020

The State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had said during the submission of the Panel Report, that he will set up a committee to come up with a white paper on the recommendations of the panel.

“We will ensure that the recommendations that are coming out that will be turned into a white paper and would be made available to the public,” Sanwo-Olu said while receiving copies of the reports.

According to the government, 11 out of the 32 recommendations made by the panel, have been accepted, six others were accepted but with modifications, while one was rejected.

The document also says 14 of the recommendations fall outside the powers of the state and will consequently be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration.

A leaked version of the report had indicted the Nigerian Army and the Lagos State Government in the killing of unarmed protesters and a subsequent cover-up of the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.

But after the panel submitted its findings to Governor Sanwo-Olu, he set up a four-member committee led by the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), giving them two weeks to raise the White Paper on the reports submitted by the panel.

At a press briefing earlier today, the Governor said the leakage was “regrettable”.

White Paper 2 on the report of general police brutality in Lagos State.