EndSARS: Kogi Govt. Inaugurates 10 man Human Rights Special Intervention Group to curtail abuses
The Kogi State Government has inaugurated 10 man Human Rights Special Intervention Group (HRSIG) to help respond to the legal needs of the victims as part of the step taken to mitigate against persistent violations of the rights of Residents in Kogi and the inability of the less privileged to access justice.
The committee which was constituted on the instruction of Governor Yahaya Bello was to operate under the Office of the Public Defender and Citizens Rights Commission ( PDCRC).
The Director General of the Commission Barrister Abdullahi Zakari explained that the Commission’s mandate was to provide legal services for those who could not afford the cost of hiring lawyers , and to protect Citizenry against the brutality and infringement of human rights by the law enforcement agencies.
He charged the members to discharge their duties with the fear of God and service to humanity.
The Director General commended the governor for his quick response to the yearnings of the populace as he undertook sweeping reforms of the criminal justice system.
He added that, the Hon Attorney general and Commissioner of Justice Hon. Ibrahim Sani Mohammed SAN has been in the forefront of many great reforms in Criminal Justice sector, which led to the establishment of PDCRC.
The DG disclosed that the reform was achieved by Governor Yahaya Bello who has been proactive about the well-being of residents in the state, stating that kogi State has the highest numbers of law officers compared to other Northern States of the Federation.
He explained that the governor while responding to the #EndSars protest, did identified with the youth and promised to set up a special Committee to handle the brutality of the law enforcement officers, which culminated the inauguration .
Members of the committee are , I.O. Alhassan, Chairman, Isaac Adeiza Secretary, others, Iye Adama, DSC Atodo Adama , Asp Mohammed Bala.; M.M Nuhu, Debora Ebiloma and Olarenwaju Atoto.
The members of the Committee were drawn from The Police, DSS, Civil Defence Corps, National Human Rights Commission, Ministry of Justice, NBA, the Commitee Secretariat is with PDCRC Office.
In his acceptance speech, the Chairman, Ibrahim Alhassan who is also the Vice Chairman of NBA Lokoja branch assured of his commitment to ensuring the delivery of the mandate to the best of their abilities.