Fifteen years after the gruesome murder of five traders their female friend in Abuja by policemen, popularly known as the Apo Six saga, their families have demanded a review of the compensation given to them by the Federal Government.
Their request was made through the Special Investigative Panel on Police Brutality in Abuja.
The five traders and a girlfriend to one of them were brutally killed by the police in 2005, while returning from a night club.
Ekene Isaac Mgbe, Ifeanyi Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony Nwokike and Augustina Arebu, are young Nigerians doing business in Apo, a satellite settlement of Abuja before they were killed in cold blood by triggered happy cops.
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The police officers were charged to court and two of them Emmaneal Baba and Eziekel Achejene, were sentenced to death, but the team leader, DCP Danjuma Ibarahim was discharged and re-absorbed into the police and made an AIG, before retirement.
3 million Naira was paid in compensation to each of the families by the federal government, but the families of the deceased have now approached the Independent Investigative Panel on human rights violations by the defunct SARS and other units of he Nigerian Police, to review the compensation awarded.
At the beginning of the Panel sitting on Tuesday, the counsel for the Complainant, Amobi Nzelu told the panel that his Petition dated 5/11/2020, also contained Panel report of the judicial Panel of enquiry, 2005, headed by Justice Olasumbo Goodluck that awarded the compensation to the family of the deceased.
Nzelu told the panel that the families of the diseased had recieved the 3 million naira promised them and had also exhumed the corpse of the deceased for proper burial, but have not received the 500,000 naira burial expenses.
On this grounds, Nzelu stated that the 3 million naira compensation that was awarded to the families of the deceased was grossly inadequate and therefore sought for 200 million naira additional compensation.
The Police Counsel, James Idachaba stated that from the narratives there is no cause of action against the Respondents, since the famailes have been settled.
He also stated that this Independent Investigative Panel does not have the jurisdiction to review the report of the Judicial Panel of enquiry that sat before now and had concluded the matter.
He further stated that the Petitioners should present to the panel evidence of the money’s not paid.
The Chairman of the panel, retired Justice Suleiman Galadima after listening to the lawyers asked Nzelu to tender all evidence of payments made on the 23 of march, to help the panel accertain which payments are yet to be made.
Matter was therefore adjourned to the 15th of April, 2021 for continuation
