Crime
IIP-SARS Present Final Report on Human Rights Violations.
IIP-SARS Present Final Report on Human Rights Violations.
By: Michael Mike
The Independent Investigation Panel on Human Rights Violations by the defunct SARS and other units of the Nigerian Police (IIP-SARS) on Tuesday presented its report to the National Human Rights Commission after the payment of N438 million to 100 victims in the last 10 months.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission (NHRC), Tony Ojukwu who received the report on behalf of the Chairperson of the Governing Council of the Commission, Dr. Salamatu Suleiman, noted that Justice Galadima-led panel has dedicated the last two years hearing over 200 petitions on human rights violations.
He said: “Today, we are finally closing a chapter in the work of the panel but opening a new one for the Commission and all government institutions that will be charged with the implementation of the report”.
The NHRC Boss stated that the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Police Service Commission, and the Nigerian Police Force have a huge responsibility to ensure full implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the panel.
Ojukwu observed that payment of compensation is just one step in the road to justice, insisting that there is the need to hold indicted officers of the Nigerian Police accountable for these violations.
He said: “I welcome the decisions and indictments issued by the Justice Galadima Panel and I want to assure Nigerians and victims and their families that the National Human Rights Commission already has an established reputation as a leading voice on Police reforms.”
According to Ojukwu, “We will study these recommendations and will work with the Nigerian Police, the relevant Committees of the National Assembly, civil society, and development partners to implement the recommendations”.
Besides, he commended the panel for its far-reaching recommendations on other spheres of justice delivery and human rights enforcement including, the payment of judgment awards, institutional reforms in medical institutions, compliance with the law of the Compulsory Treatment of Gunshot Wounds, and release of corpses amongst other recommendations.
In his address during the presentation of the final report, the Chairman of the panel, Justice Suleiman Galadima rtd stated, “We have cause to be grateful to the Commission for considering myself and Panel members worthy of undertaking the daunting assignment”.
The former Supreme Court Justice recalled that on two occasions, considering the mood and anxiety of those whose petitions have been concluded, the Commission as a matter of urgency awarded and compensated some victims already, to calm them down and give them hope, not waiting for today’s Report and Recommendations.
He added that the gesture is indicative of the government’s genuine intention in setting the various panels of investigation across the country.
Also Read: I Regret Using My Little Sister For Rituals To Boost My…
The eminent jurist, therefore, urged the government to look into the report and recommendations with a view to implementing, even as he suggested setting up a Victims Compensation Fund to settle the awards and compensations.
He further urged the National Economic Council which directed the establishment of various Panels on Human Rights Violations to once again direct the National Human Rights Commission to harmonise these various reports of all the Panels and urgently submit the same to the federal government for quick action.
He thanked other members of the Panel, the Head of the Commission’s legal team, Chino Obiagwu (SAN), and the Commission staff for making the panel work a huge success.
Earlier in his remarks, the Secretary of the Panel, Mr. Hilary Ogbonna recalled that the 2020 END SARS protests by the Nigerian youth resulted in the setting up of the panel to address large-scale human rights violations by the defunct SARS and other units of the Nigerian Police.
He disclosed that out of the over 200 petitions that came from 29 states including the FCT, 95 were fully decided, 54 were withdrawn, 33 were struck out, 56 judgment debt, and 57 were referred to the Commission.
He also revealed that 72 Policemen were indicted for various degrees of human rights violations, 28 recommended for prosecution, 25 for dismissal, 15 for different disciplinary actions, and 4 for reduction of rank.
On compensations, the Human Rights Adviser to the Executive Secretary said 39 compensations were paid for extra-judicial killings, 7 for enforced disappearance, 9 for unlawful arrests and detention, 30 for torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, 6 for threat to life, 6 for confiscation/seizure of property and 3 for abuse of office
IIP-SARS Present Final Report on Human Rights Violations.
Armed Bandits Attack Ringa Village, Kidnap Four in Niger
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have carried out a deadly raid in Ringa Village, located in the Ringa District of Rafi Local Government Area in Niger State, kidnapping four individuals and causing widespread damage, the state police command confirmed.
Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makama that on April 18, 2025, at approximately 1000hrs, a large group of armed bandits and insurgents, riding on motorcycles, invaded the village. During the attack, the assailants abducted four men Anas Shuaibu, Isah Kazuga, Mande Samari, and Bazama Kiwoji who were all residents of the village.
In addition to the kidnapping, the bandits set fire to the village’s electricity transformer, plunging the community into darkness. They also stole four unregistered Bajaj motorcycles that had been abandoned by their owners, who fled in fear for their lives.
Security forces are currently conducting intensive operations in a bid to rescue the kidnapped victims and apprehend the perpetrators of the attack.
Armed Bandits Attack Ringa Village, Kidnap Four in Niger
JNIM Claims Deadly Attack on Benin Military Bases, Says 70 Soldiers Killed
By: Zagazola Makama
Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM), a terrorist group operating in the Sahel, has claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on two military positions in northern Benin Republic on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
In a statement released through its propaganda channels, the group said it killed 70 Beninese soldiers during the assaults. The attacks reportedly targeted military companies stationed near the country’s northern borders with Burkina Faso and Niger – regions increasingly plagued by jihadist violence.
JNIM also published images of weapons and equipment it said were captured during the attacks. Among the items allegedly seized were:
American-made M2HB heavy machine guns, Five PP87 mortars of Chinese origin, Fifty-one rocket-assisted mortar shells, Three surveillance drones, Six motorcycles, Sixty-four grenades, Seventy-eight Kalashnikov rifles, Over 300 ammunition magazines, Type 80 and W-85 machine guns, Type 81-1 rifles Type 56-1 rocket launchers, and T69-1 anti-tank projectiles.
The Beninese government has yet to issue an official statement confirming the claims. However, security sources have confirmed that military operations are ongoing in the northern region, and reinforcements have been deployed to contain the situation.
JNIM, which is affiliated with al-Qaeda, has expanded its activities into coastal West African states in recent years, marking a shift in its operational footprint beyond Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.
JNIM Claims Deadly Attack on Benin Military Bases, Says 70 Soldiers Killed
Two Suspects Arrested for Human Trafficking, Victims Rescued in Kubwa, Abuja
By: Zagazola Makama
Two men have been arrested in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for their involvement in human trafficking after police operatives foiled their attempt to transport three women to Senegal.
Sources told Zagazola Makama that on April 17, 2025, at around 1730hrs, operatives from the Kubwa Division, apprehended 28-year-old Thankgod Ike and 26-year-old Dennis Ike. The two suspects, both residents of Gbazango by the Assembly of God Church, were arrested following actionable intelligence.
The suspects were allegedly involved in the trafficking of three women Helen Simon (25), Blessing Iliya (25), and Anabel Iliya (22) whom they had deceived with promises of securing illicit jobs abroad. The victims were intended to be trafficked through Lagos and Guinea before ultimately being taken to Senegal.
The suspects were apprehended while executing their plan to transport the women, who have since been rescued and are currently in police custody.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects have been involved in similar activities in the past, including the trafficking of another woman, known as “Baby” (25), to Senegal in 2024.
Additionally, the suspects are believed to be connected to the trafficking of Alisa Conte, a Sierra Leonean national, whose case is currently under investigation by INTERPOL.
Police sources said efforts are ongoing to identify and contact the victims’ families, and further investigations are underway.
Armed Bandits Attack Ringa Village, Kidnap Four in Niger
Pastor Killed in Armed Robbery Attack in Plateau
EXCLUSIVE: Militia Supremacy Battle Fuels Deadly Attacks in Benue Community as 17 Killed
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News1 year agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions3 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
Opinions3 years ago
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
News1 year agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Columns1 year agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
ACADEMICS1 year agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Opinions1 year agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
Politics8 months agoKashim Shettima: Of Sentiments, Their Opinions, and the 21 billion Naira VP’s Official Resident
