09:46 At the Lagos State #EndSARS Judicial Panel of Enquiry on this one month remembrance of the #LekkiMassacre.

A near empty room. The panel registrar is watching a political TV segment from his phone rather loudly.

More petitioners have come to submit their letters. https://twitter.com/editieffiong/status/1328627685363511296

10:05 Today, we expect the police to appear in response to Mr. Ndukwe’s petition, having failed to appear on Tuesday. Mr. Ndukwe seeks redress for torture, which has confined him to a wheelchair.

The police is also expected to respond to Ms. Opara Felicia
and Olajide Fowotade

10:29 It appears the police legal team has arrived.

Pay special attention to the gentleman with the tightly fitting chin guard.

You people wanted a mask, you didn’t specify which kind.

10:36 The police legal team are speaking to a @Reuters journalist. Weirdly, they wouldn’t speak to a Nigerian journalist.

Listening to them planning their defense around technicalities of how the petitioner knew the people who arrested them were SARS.

10:39 The chair’s bag is out. You all know what that means.

10:41 The panel arrives! Mr Ebun Adegboruwa isn’t here.

Mr. Ndukwe’s case is called. He arrives with his mother. Their lawyer is not here.

I am aware the #endSARS legal team had offered them a rep, but they said they’d prefer their own lawyer who has not once showed up.

10:48 It’s really upsetting that this man is about to face the police legal team without the benefit of legal representation.

Really upset. But this is partly their fault. They were repeatedly offered help, but trusted a lawyer who hasn’t showed up.

10:52 As I overheard, the police have immediately asked how Mr. Ndukwe knew who arrested him.

He says they wore “SARS” bibs.

Police now ask if he knows any of the SARS officials. Ndukwe says yes - he got a photo from a whatsapp status.

10:56 Police ask how Ndukwe got the SARS officer Hamzat’s number. Confirm he was given by his mother.

Police asks “does this picture suggest the person is a SARS officer?” Ndukwe says “I no wear eye glass na. Na the person wey carry me go detention”

Photo tendered as evidence.

11:02 Police says Ndukwe should look again, that the photo doesn’t look like a policeman.

Ndukwe insists what he couldn’t possibly forget the man. That it’s the devil who tortured him.

Yes, he said “devil”.

Police insist the picture wasn’t taken on day of arrest.

11:06 Police now ask how Ndukwe was handcuffed. They also ask if police shot in the air.

Ndukwe says “Abeg no turn my head. I tell you wetin happen”.

Police trying to bully Ndukwe, Chair comes to his aid. Tells police to not provoke.

11:09 Police is asking what offense Mr Ndukwe committed. He says again, that he still, even at this moment has not been told what he did.

Now Police ask what Ndukwe trades in. He is explaining he sells phone accessories as well as other stuff.

Ndukwe presents his market ID.

11:12 Ndukwe is illiterate but not stupid. Police try to ask if he sells “anything”, setting up to say say he could sell illegal substances.

Ndukwe says he isn’t stupid. What if it’s cocaine, would he be foolish enough to sell that too.

Laughter in court.

11:05 Police are asking which specific police station Ndukwe was taken to. They list a number of stations and ask him to identify which.

Ndukwe says he’s not a professional who would know which, but if they take him there, he would know. He’d never been there before.

11:19 Police is asking who took him to hospital. He says he wasn’t taken by police to hospital.

Police now asking how long Ndukwe was in custody. “Two days”, Mr. Ndukwe says, “and put me in this condition”.

11:22 Ndukwe states SARS took him to his shop about 8pm. People queued up to buy up his stock. The police is now back to asking if he sells everything, because a fridge was one of the stuff that were sold.

“Is fridge part of phone accessories”.

Chair intervenes again

11:27 Police is asking is Ndukwe went to hospital for broken teeth.

Ndukwe is quite upset. “No dey turn my head. My leg break, you dey talk teeth.” Basically, Maslow’s hierarchy of illness.

The chair is laughing along with everyone. Ndukwe makes his point though.

11:30 The police lawyer is working really hard to intimidate Ndukwe, he’s doing well to defend himself.

Police ask if he knows who pushed him down the stairs.

Ndukwe: Chairman, my hand dey back o. And na night...I no know the exact person wey push me.

11:33 The police are tying to conflate the arrest incident with the visit to Mr. Ndukwe’s incident.

His response:

11:35 The police have been unable to break Mr Ndukwe’s testimony.

They’ve asked for a short “Stand down”. What is short? 20 minutes.

Lagos counsel is asking police to state why they want to stand down. They said they weren’t here when the testimony was first given.

Okurr

11:40 Panel stands down.

It’s good to see that even the police lawyer is interested in life advancement.

Beside his large case document is a copy of @akinalabi’s “Small Business, Big Money”.

Wonder what small business he plans to do.

12:08 Panel is back after more than the 20 minutes that was requested.

Police are asking for an adjournment. Counsel says due to the disbandment of SARS and other tactical teams, it’s hard to get the SARS officers as witnesses.

To Mr. Ndukwe, this is very unfair.

12:14 While the panel is consulting on the adjournment request, I think they find the police tactic funny.

The police team were on a high when they walked in, and planned to discredit Mr. Ndukwe, but having failed to do so, is asking for adjournment “in the interest of justice”.

12:17 Having admonished the police about their tardiness, the chair has agreed to adjourn till December 4.

Chair: We cannot be going at this baby pace if we intend to finish on time.

Chair lets out an audible sigh, having allowed the adjournment. Mr. Ndukwe is wheeled out.

12:22 Personal note: It’s November 2020. The absence of female pronouns in Nigerian legal proceedings is disgraceful.

The Chair is called Chairman and addressed as sir. What’s that nonsense?

12:24 Police is now asking for blanket adjournment for all the cases because they can’t locate officers.

Basically, the police can’t identify or locate its own officers. They even say they can’t reach an officer on the phone.

12:26 Mr. Fowotade is called.

He says his case is different as it’s the DPO that took him to hospital, and they can identify the DPO (Mr Akpan), who can identify the Officer Ayo involved in his case.

Mr Fowotade asks “Is he a ghost?”

Dolapo Badmus is mentioned.

12:29 Chair is upset at the requests for adjournments and says so.

Police are now making the excuse that the mentioned DPO Akpan is retired, hence it’s difficult to reach.

Also says Dolapo Badmus has been involved in so many cases, she won’t remember this one being reviewed.

12:32 Chair grants adjournment, but says no more indulgences will be granted the respondent (police).

Police say they have bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Panel adjourned.