The Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) Court has imposed a fine of $3.3 million
on Nigeria for the extra-judicial killing of eight
citizens in the Apo District of Abuja, Federal Capital
Territory.
(ECOWAS) Court has imposed a fine of $3.3 million
on Nigeria for the extra-judicial killing of eight
citizens in the Apo District of Abuja, Federal Capital
Territory.
The regional court ordered Nigeria to pay a
compensatory damage of $200,000 to each of the
families of those killed, and $150,000 to families of
those injured by a combined team of soldiers and
operatives of the Department of State Security
Service (DSS) during a raid of an uncompleted
building the Apo Area of Abuja.
The eight Nigerians were killed when the security
personnel opened fire on them on allegations they
were linked to Boko Haram.
They were later found to be commercial motorcycle
(Okada) riders who were taking living in the
uncompleted building.
A non-governmental organization, The Incorporated
Trustees of Fiscal and Civil Right Enlightment
Foundation, had on behalf of the deceased dragged
Nigeria, the Army and Department of State Security
Services before ECOWAS Court.
In its ruling delivered by presiding Justice Friday
Chijioke Nwoke, the court found Nigeria liable for
brutally killing defenceless citizens contrary to the
provision of the local and international law on the
fundamental rights of citizens to life.
The panel of three Justices headed by Justice
Nwoke condemned the killing as barbaric, illegal
and unconstitutional and a breach of the
fundamental rights of the deceased to life.
The court rejected the plea by Nigeria that its
security personnel killed the deceased in attempt to
defend themselves adding that there was no iota of
evidence that any of the deceased carried knives or
guns against the security men when they invaded
their house.
Justice Nwoke said the action of the security
personnel constituted a serious abuse of power and
misuse of firearms against innocent citizens,
because there was no conflict that should have
warranted opening fire on defenceless citizens.
“There is no evidence of any attempt that the
deceased and the survivors attempted to harm the
security personnel. There is no evidence of
recovered guns. There is no evidence of bullet or
pellets recovered from the deceased and tendered
before this court to prove the claim that the
Nigerian security personnel acted in self-defence
when they storm the house of the deceased,” the
judge said.
“Rather the evidence abounds that the victims were
unharmed while the security personnel were the one
that open fire on the innocent and the defenceless
citizens.”
