BY JOHN EBIOFINI
THE ONDO STATE JUDICIAL PANEL OF INQUIRY INTO CASES OF POLICE BRUTALITY AND OTHER RELATED MATTERS SAYS IT HAS RECEIVED THIRTY PETITIONS FROM SOME AGGRIEVED PERSON IN THE STATE.
CHAIRMAN OF THE PANEL, RETIRED JUSTICE ADESOLA SODIQ MADE THIS KNOWN ON THURSDAY AT THE INAUGURAL SITTING IN AKURE.
JUSTICE SODIQ WHO EXPRESSED OPTIMISM THAT MORE PETITIONS WOULD STILL BE RECEIVED IN THE COURSE OF SITTINGS GAVE AN ASSURANCE THAT ALL PARTIES INVOLVED WOULD GET JUSTICE.
POSITIVE FM CORRESPONDENT REPORTS THAT THE FIRST CASE TO BE HEARD WAS ADJOURNED TILL NEXT WEEK TUESDAY WHILE SITTINGS OF THE PANEL HAD BEEN STRUCTURED TO TAKE PLACE EVERY TUESDAYS, WEDNESDAYS AND THURSDAYS.
THE INAUGURAL SITTING HAD IN ATTENDANCE AMONG OTHERS, THE CHAIRMAN, ONDO STATE BAR ASSOCIATION, MR ROTIMI OLORUNFEMI AND AN OBSERVER DR. OLUWASEYI AWODELE.
THEY BOTH EXPRESSED CONFIDENCE THAT THE PANEL WOULD ADDRESS GRIEVANCES AND INJURIES OCCASIONED BY THE EXCESSES OF POLICE IN THE STATE AS WELL AS THOSE GROSSLY AFFECTED BY THE ACTIONS OF HOODLUMS DURING THE #ENDSARS PROTEST.
EARLIER, IN AN ADDRESS, SECRETARY TO THE PANEL, MR LANRE AMUDA SAID THE NINE MAN PANEL WAS SET UP BY GOVERNOR OLUWAROTIMI AKEREDOLU AMONG OTHER THINGS TO RECEIVE AND INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS OF POLICE BRUTALITY OR RELATED EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS BY THE POLICE IN ONDO STATE.
MR AMUDA APPEALED FOR DECORUM WHENEVER THE PANEL WAS IN SESSION WHILE ALSO EMPHASISING THAT COVID19 PROTOCOLS MUST BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED DURING SITTINGS.