A Federal High Court in
Jalingo on Friday ordered the Nigerian Police Force to pay N7.5 million
compensation for extra-judicial killing of two persons.
The
deceased are Terhile Ikpila and Loho Dutse, both of Wukari Local Government
Area of Taraba.
The
ruling followed a case filed on Feb. 4 by Peter Ikpila and Bem Dutse, accusing
the police of unlawfully killing the deceased on Nov. 16, along Jalingo-Wukari
road.
Counsel
to the plaintiffs, Mr Augustine Chukwuma, said the police killed the deceased
when they were travelling to Wukari for a night church programme.
Chukwuma
said that his deceased were ordered to lie face down by arm robbers, who robbed
them and fled only for police to arrive and killed the helpless victims
extra-judicially.
He
said the action of the police contravened the fundamental human rights of the
deceased as contained in Sections 33 (1) and 46 of the 1999 constitution as
amended.
Chukwuma
prayed the court to direct the police to pay each of the families N400 million
compensation for the damage done since they refused to fish out the officers
who carried out the killings.
“The
armed robbers had gone at the time the police team arrived, but the victims
were still lying down in fear and did not know that the people that came were
policemen.
“It
was after they had shot and killed the deceased and injured Terhemen Meer that
Bem Francis screamed that they were not armed robbers, but were forced to lie
down by the armed robbers,’’ he said.
Counsel
to the police, Mr Henry Ogbeiwi, argued that it was stray bullets from the
exchange of gunfire between the police and the robbers that killed the victims.
In
his judgment, Justice Donatus Okorowo ruled that the plaintiff’s counsel had
proved his case beyond reasonable doubt, and that the deceased were killed
extra-judicially by the police.
“The
police took no precaution to avoid hurting the victims and killing the
deceased; they were reckless with the use of fire arms that resulted in the
deprivation of right of life of the deceased.
“Extra-judicial
killing is condemnable and all civilised persons should rise and speak against
it.
“There
should be respect for human lives as no one is permitted to take the life of
another except in few circumstances permitted by law.
“Although
the plaintiff demanded N400 million each, I consider the payment of N7.5
million to each of the families as reasonable compensation for the loss of life
of each of the deceased,’’ he ruled. (NAN)
