Fred Itua, Abuja
Weeks after the EndSARS protest in many parts of the country, including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Thursday, inaugurated a ministerial committee to identify and recommend appropriate compensation for victims.
FCT Minister, Muhammad Bello, charged the 18-man committee to identify families of those who were killed during the violence and also assess the damages both on public and private properties.
Bello, who said the ministerial assignment was sacrosanct to his Administration, also noted that the committee must turn in its report within two weeks.
He further urged members of the committee, headed by the Director-General of FCT Emergency Management Agency, Idris Abbas, to deploy its expertise and recommend strategies to forestall future occurrences of such violence.
He said: “The Committee has two (2) weeks to submit its report on the following Terms of Reference (TOR): Visit and Assess the Extent of Damage to Individual and Public Properties and Assign Value.
“Identify those Affected and ascertain their Losses. Identify lives affected and assess the loss suffered.
“Recommend Level and Modalities of Compensation. Advise the FCT Administration Generally on Measures to Forestal Future Occurrences.”
Speaking, FCT Permanent Secretary, Olusade Adesola, who decried the number of people who were reportedly killed during the violence, called on members of the committee to see the assignment as a national service.
Adesola noted that the Administration was counting on the patriotism of the committee members to address all grievances arising from the protest.