#EndSARS: Commission Strikes Out Oyigbo Indigenous Lawyers’ Petition

The Rivers State Commission of Inquiry Investigating the alleged Acts of Violence, Torture, Brutality, Murder and Violation of Fundamental Rights of Citizens committed by men, and operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in the state has struck out the petition filed by the Oyigbo Indigenous Lawyers Association (OILA) for lack of jurisdiction.
Members of Oyigbo Indigenous Lawyers Association (OILA) had written a petition for themselves and on behalf of the entire Oyigbo people in Oyigbo Local Government Area of the state alleging brutality and other social injustices they were subjected to during the #EndSARS protests “in the area, which the commission struck out on the grounds that the petition did not fall within its scope of jurisdiction”.
The Chairman of the commission, Justice Chukwunoye Uriri, who read the unanimous decision of the panel, held that the petitioners failed to mention police in their petition, and as such, the commission could not entertain the matter.
The chairman averred that the petition failed because the commission lacks the jurisdiction to hear it, and therefore, struck it out for want of evidence.
Speaking to journalists after their petition was struck out, the leader of the group, Higher Kings, said the group has accepted the ruling of the commission, adding that it would study it and decide on the next line of action.
According to him, the association basically came to assist the commission, saying that members of the association did their own finding that would assist the commission.
“We did our own personal finding; we discovered that there was police and military brutality in the area. We know that there are some indigenous people of Oyigbo that were brutalised during the period. We have accepted the ruling as it has become law now”.
Kings, who is also a human rights lawyer, said that the group, in their petition to the commission, recommended that the state government should own Oyigbo communities, rebuild all the public infrastructures destroyed in the area during the protests as well as curtail the excesses of members of IPOB in the area.