President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he will await the steps taken by governors before the Federal Government would take action on the reports of the judicial panels of enquiry set up by states.
President Buhari, who spoke at a meeting with Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, in Abuja, yesterday, said state governments will have to take steps on the reports of their panels, before the Federal Government acts on the recommendations.
He made this known after the Lagos panel presented its report on police brutality, including the Lekki shooting, to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu five days ago while those of Rivers, Delta, Ogun, among others, had earlier submitted their reports.
He said: “So many state governments are involved, and have given different terms of reference to the probe panels.
“We at the federal have to wait for the steps taken by the states, and we have to allow the system to work. We can’t impose ideas on them. The Federal Government has to wait for the reaction of the states.”
On his part, the US Secretary of State described the report of the #EndSARS probe panel as “democracy in action”, adding that he looked forward to necessary reforms within security agencies.
Speaking on the removal of Nigeria from countries violating religious freedom, Buhari said his administration remained committed to freedom of worship, adding that “no one is discriminated against on the basis of his or her faith”.
He also expressed his appreciation to the US for its support in the sale of military weapons to Nigeria to fight insecurity.
“It’s helping us to stabilise the situation in the North-East, and we’ve made a lot of progress since 2015,” he said.
“We are doing a lot on security, and the people involved appreciate our efforts.”