The Nigeria Police Force, NPF, on Friday, withdrew the suit it filed to stop various panels of enquiry that are probing allegations of impunity and rights abuses by the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.
The development comes hours after the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, on Thursday, denied authorising the filing of the suit.
Following street protests across the country by youths in October, the federal government had announced the disbandment of the special squad and immediately directed the establishment of various judicial panels to look into the allegations of rights abuse and other wrongful conduct of police officers in the course of their duties.
However, few weeks into the works of the various panels across states of the federation, the police claimed that the various judicial panels being establishment by various states government lack powers to investigate into its activities, and asked the Federal High Court to stop them from proceeding any further.
The NPF withdrew the suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1492/2020, two days after it was lodged before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Though the court earlier slated December 18 to hear the matter, however, the Plaintiff, through another lawyer, Mr. Festus Ibude, filed a notice of discontinuance.
The plaintiff, therefore, through one of its lawyers, Festus Ibude, filed a notice of discontinuance of the suit on Friday.
“Take notice that the plaintiff herein intends to and doth hereby wholly withdraws its suit against all the defendants,” it read.
The plaintiff had in the suit urged the court to restrain the Attorneys-General of the 36 states of the federation and their various panels of enquiry from going ahead with the probe focusing on police impunity.
