Rinu Oduala, an #EndSARS protest promoter, has stepped down as a youth representative member of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry on police brutality in the state.
Oduala said this on her verified Twitter account on Friday while reacting to the recent decision of the panel to reopen the Lekki Toll Plaza, where a number of #EndSARS protesters were massacred.
Oduala described the development as an act of injustice and announced her exit from the panel.
“The panel allowed victims of police intimidation and brutality to have their day in the light of justice. They got to expose the violence that was meted out, to experience some catharsis from having the government acknowledge its failures and, in many cases, are going to be receiving some compensation, however inadequate for the disruption to their lives,” she said.
Partial Wins Are Not Enough! ❌
After going silent for a month, troll accounts dedicated to belittle my work & sowing doubt about my age & right to express myself as a citizen of Nigeria were reactivated.
They targeted me by releasing fake tweets & turn the public against me.— Rinu #EndSARS🔥🔫 (@SavvyRinu) February 12, 2021
“This is further than we have ever come as a nation, and while this same rigour was not applied to the case of the Lekki Toll shootings, we can at least celebrate the wins that our brothers and sisters can finally claim in their fight for justice, and recognise that our collective will is more powerful than any institution.
“However, partial wins are not enough for me. I decided to join this fight because I wanted the government to recognise its failures and work to overhaul its security institutions. I did not expect piecemeal acknowledgements and efforts to sabotage vital proceedings.”
In other parts of her thrad on the matter, she said: “Let me be clear: I chose to honour the invitation to represent my peers and to stand as an example that any Nigerian has the right to demand accountability of elected government officials and that our institutions, however flawed, can still deliver justice.
“What I will not do is be part of a cover-up. I am proud that I took the invitation because some of the successes the panel has recorded so far have been incredibly powerful for the people.”
What I will not do is be part of a cover-up.
I am proud that I took the invitation because some of the successes the panel has recorded so far have been incredibly powerful for the people.
— Rinu #EndSARS🔥🔫 (@SavvyRinu) February 12, 2021
Oduala added that she would be “stepping down from the Lagos Judicial Panel as it is now obvious that the government is only out to use us for performative actions”.
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