Families of six young Nigerians extra-judicially killed in June 2005 by some police officers in Abuja, have asked for fresh N200 million compensation each.
Amobi Nzelu, a lawyer representing two complainants – Elvis Ozor and Edwin Meniru – who are acting on behalf of the families of Ifeanyi Ozor and five others killed by the police over 15 years ago, made the case for a fresh compensation before the panel investigating police brutality in Abuja on Wednesday.
The panel was constituted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), in the aftermath of last year’s #EndSARS protests by Nigerian youths demanding an end to police brutality perpetrated by men of the now defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and other police units.
Fresh demands
Mr Nzelu, on Wednesday, informed the 11-man panel led by Suleiman Galadima, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court, that the Federal Government had paid N3 million to each of the families of the deceased persons in compliance with the recommendation of a panel set up by then President Olusegun Obasanjo administration.
The panel then headed by Olasunbo Goodluck, who was then a chief magistrate of Lagos State, but now a judge of the FCT High Court, had indicted some police officers for the killing.
It had also recommended the exhumation of the bodies of the deceased for a befitting burial.
Mr Nzelu, however, told Mr Galadima-led panel that the recommendation of the old panel that N500,000 be paid to each of the deceased persons’ families for burial expenses had not been complied with by the Federal Government.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria therefore pleaded with the panel to make an order compelling the Federal Government “to upgrade the N3 millilon compensation already paid and received by the affected families to N200 million per family.”
Mr Nzelu stated that the N3 million was grossly inadequate “to assuage the pains suffered by families of these young men because none of the…
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