LAGOS: CNN shuns summons to appear before judicial panel

THE Cable News Network, the Atlanta, USA-based broadcaster, has shunned the summons issued to it to appear before the Lagos State Panel of Judicial inquiry probing the alleged killing of #EndSARS protesters by soldiers at the Lekki Tollgate, Lagos.

Reacting to the summons, CNN said it does not fall under the territorial jurisdiction of the retired Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel to warrant being summoned to appear before it.

The judicial panel had issued the summons following a two-part investigative report, backed pictures and video clips, aired by the CNN in the aftermath of the Lekki shootings in Lagos.

The shooting implicated the Nigerian Army in the alleged shootings of peaceful protesters.

The Army, which has been consistently changing its narrative about what happened at Lekki, has insisted that no lives were lost.

But CNN report claimed that lives were lost at Lekki tollgate. The report even named the victims of the shootings.

The Federal Government has since condemned the CNN report, describing it as irresponsible.

In an objection filed through their lawyer, Olumide Babalola, the CNN, its reporter, Stephanie Busari, and her team, said the November 28 summons issued on them was invalid as they were not within the geographical territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and do not have any physical or business presence in Nigeria.

“We submit that since the objectors are not ‘persons in Nigeria’ as envisaged by the provision of Section 5(c) of the Tribunals of Inquiry Law Of Lagos State, Cap. T6, then this Honourable Tribunal is, with respect, bereft of territorial jurisdiction to compel their attendance to give evidence before it.

“We rely on the decision in Joshua Dariye v Federal Republic of Nigeria (2015) LPELR-24398(SC), where the Supreme Court of Nigeria held that: Territorial jurisdiction implies a geographical area within which the authority of the court may be exercised and outside which the Court has no power to act,” Babalola said.

The lawyer urged the panel to withdraw the summons issued on his clients and to instead, watch the CNN report on the Lekki shootings.

He said, “The objectors respectfully refer the tribunal to the link for the published version of the story as reported on their website, ‘How a bloody night of bullets quashed a young protest movement’ to aid the tribunal’s fact-finding mission.”