Benue panel okays N304.5m damages for police brutality victims

Benue State #EndSARS panel has recommended N304,535,095.85 compensation for victims of police brutality in the state.

The recommendation was contained in a report submitted yesterday by chairman of the panel/former Chief Judge of the State, Justice Adam Onum, to the Deputy Governor, Benson Abounu.

It also recommended various police officers found wanting to the Commissioner for Justice for discreet investigations, with a view to prosecuting them for misconduct.

Onum intimated that during the panel’s sitting, it received 72 petitions, some of which were dismissed and withdrawn.

He expressed disgust that in the course of investigations, the panel discovered different levels of police brutality, including an instance where some persons were brutally murdered by the police in cold blood, leaving families without breadwinners.

According to him, some persons died in police custody, owing to complications arising from torture and/or other forms of abuse of police powers, including unwarranted denial of the right to bail.

Receiving the report on behalf of Governor Samuel Ortom, the deputy governor said the state government would hand over the report to the Federal Government, who had given them the mandate to set up the panel.

He added: “The state government expects a quick action from the federal authorities in dealing with security agencies, especially the police, for acts of brutality on citizens.”