The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved N135 million compensation for the families of the five Igbo traders and fiancee of one of them murdered in Abuja by some police officers led by then Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP-Operations) Danjuma Ibrahim.
On June 7, 2005, the spare parts dealers at the Apo Auto Spare Parts Market, including Ifeanyi Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Anthony Nwokike, Paulinus Ogbonna, Ekene Isaac Mgbe and the finacee, Arebu Augustina, were killed by the policemen when they were driving home from a nightclub, along Gimbiya Street, Area Eleven, Garki, Abuja.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Alhaji Abubakar Malami, SAan made the disclosure while briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the weekly FEC meeting, Wednesday in Abuja.
He said the Federal Ministry of Justice presented a memo to the council on a policy targeted at consolidating and upscaling the Nigerian observance of human rights in the country.
He, however, did not speak on why he refused to either appeal directly or grant waiver to a private legal practitioner on the request of the families of the deceased to appeal against the judgment of the Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, who handled the matter, exonorating Danjuma Ibrahim from the murder.
He said: “As you will recall very well, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has established a record of being the first and only administration in the history of Nigeria that has indeed tolerated, accommodated and enforced decisions of the Human Rights Commission.
“And in this respect, talking of the Apo six, taking into consideration, the commission’s judgement, the government as being in breach of the human rights of certain individuals popularly referred to as the Apo six, which unfortunate incidents predates the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“And the Human Rights Commission adjudged the government liable to pay about N130 million to the family of the victims of the alleged infractions.
“The government of President Muhammadu Buhari took steps to ensure payment of the N135 million to the Apo Six in compliance with the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, thereby giving teeth to the Human Rights Commission in terms of compliance with the recommendation,” he said.
The minister said the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, which is an international committee, had in 2022 adjudged Nigeria as the only African country that has been in full compliance in terms of the protection of the rights of the journalists, taking into consideration that “not a single incidence of death of a journalist has been recorded in Nigeria arising from infractions, relating thereto.”
