By Babajide Okeowo
The Cable News Network (CNN) has declined a summon by the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution of Victims of Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS Related Abuses to testify before it. The News network stated that the panel lacked the jurisdiction to summon them since they are not a business with physical operation in Nigeria.
The objection was filed on behalf of CNN by its Lawyer Olumide Babalola dated December 4 and filed on December 9.
When the panel sat on Saturday, the CNN lawyer was queried privately and he reiterated his objection. The panel then excused CNN from further proceedings.
Recall that the panel had on November 28 asked that CNN’s team of reporters appeared before it to give evidence on their reportage of the Lekki toll gate shooting after CNN last month published a major investigation into the events of October 20 at the Lekki toll gate.
The report indicated that the Nigerian military shot at unarmed protesters who had convened for the #EndSARS protest.
The Federal Government has denied that its forces acted inappropriately at the toll gate and has described the CNN report as “one-dimensional and lacking in balance.”
