A recent Dataphyte analysis questioned the outcome and implementation of government-mandated Judicial panels of inquiry, following EndSARS demonstrations. Today, however, we observe seven states neglected to even take said first steps.
- Only 7 states have ignored the directive of setting up judicial panel inquiries;
- Northwest states take the lion share of defaulters with five states;
- The North-West region faces tougher security challenges;
- Northern state Governors find ENDSARS campaign irrelevant to their region.
Judicial Panels: 71% of North-Western States Uninterested
Aggregation by Dataphyte initially highlighted that eight states jettisoned the mandate to set up judicial panels in their respective states. Niger state, however, has taken a U turn on her previous stance. Curious, though, five out of the seven erring states are from the North-Western Nigeria, with states like Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Kano, and Jigawa.
Meanwhile, the other two defaulting states are from the North East- Borno and Yobe. And by implication, only 2 states- Kaduna and Katsina- from the North West Geopolitical zone set up judicial inquiry into police brutality.
Low Police Brutality Reports amid Climbing Insecurity Challenges
Most of the defaulting states in Northern Nigeria had low reports of police brutality. In fact, save Jigawa, stories of police brutality have scarce estimates in the region. Therefore, it should not be surprising the low adoption of these judicial panels.
Then there are also the activities of the sectarian group Boko Haram, which has devastated this region necessitating special security measures. This explains why states such as Borno maintained the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad was essential. Similarly, Northern Governors’ Forum which comprises all governors from Northern Nigeria also showed their displeasure with the disbandment of SARS for their security. Alongside the Jihadist group, the region is rife with banditry, herdsmen clashes and other challenges. In response, the government mandated Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Team is poised to continue handling challenges left behind by SARS. While many reports suggest a name change was inadequate to combat the ills from Nigeria’s law enforcement, the Judicial Panels was meant to be the answer. But if Northern Nigeria is any indication, this is a bigger conversation for state governments.
