CNN Rejects Lagos Panel Summon On Lekki Shootings

<p>CNN rejects panel summon<br &sol;>&NewLine;<strong><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;openlife&period;ng&sol;">OpenLife Nigeria<&sol;a><&sol;strong> reports that American based Cable News Network&comma; Inc&period;&lpar;CNN&rpar; has objected to a Witness Summons by the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution of Victims of SARS Related Abuses for its Team of Reporters to appear before it today &lpar;Saturday&rpar;&comma; December 12&comma; to give evidence on their reportage of the &num;EndSARS Lekki shooting&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The international news outfit said the Panel lacks jurisdiction to summon its staff since they are not in Nigeria&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>CNN’s Lawyers&comma; Messrs&period; Olumide Babalola LP&comma; filed the objection dated 4th December 2020 at the Tribunal on December 9&comma; 2020&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In the letter&comma; Mr Olumide Babalola said&colon; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Since the objectors are not &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;persons in Nigeria” as envisaged by the provision of section 5&lpar;c&rpar; &lpar;of Tribunals Of Inquiry Law Of Lagos State&comma; Cap&period; T6&rpar;&comma; then this Honourable Tribunal is&comma; with respect&comma; bereft of territorial jurisdiction to compel their attendance to give evidence before it&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>According to Babalola&comma; the panel invited him into its Private Hearing Room Saturday morning and subsequently excused CNN from further proceedings or appearing before the Panel&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>CNN’s invitation followed its two-part report which claimed that soldiers shot at and killed peaceful &num;EndSARS protesters on the night of October 20 at the Lekki Toll Gate&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;