ECOWAS court delivers judgment on alleged killing of 5 Nigerians

The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, has ordered the Nigerian government to conduct ‘appropriate inquiries’ into the disappearance of five Nigerians on 13th October 2010 after they were taken into police custody in Benin, Edo State, Nigeria. Delivering judgment in a suit brought by 21 dependants, relations and children of the five Nigerians on Monday […]

The Community Court of Justice, ECOWAS, has ordered the Nigerian government to conduct ‘appropriate inquiries’ into the disappearance of five Nigerians on 13th October 2010 after they were taken into police custody in Benin, Edo State, Nigeria.
Delivering judgment in a suit brought by 21 dependants, relations and children of the five Nigerians on Monday in Abuja, the court also ordered that the outcome of the inquiry be submitted to it.
The three-member panel of judges led by the Vice President, Justice Friday Chijioke Nwoke also gave the government a three-month deadline to produce the warrants of arrests of the five missing persons.
The court also observed that Nigeria had not complied with its earlier order to produce certain documents as requested at its hearing on 9 February 2015, neither had its notice of hearing been honoured by the government.
The late Ndubuisi Christian Nnalue, Godwin Chigbo Isidienu, Chukwudi Eke, Uche Onuwuesi and Chinedu Onwe allegedly died after they were taken into custody by officers of the Nigeria Police Force at Oregbemi
The police station and the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in case no ECW/CCJ/APP/10/12, lodged before the court on 6 September 2012, the plaintiffs alleged that the five were ‘executed in the early morning of 16th October 2010’ while in police custody.
The plaintiffs submitted that the five persons had not been seen by their families nor received any information on their whereabouts since their arrest by the Nigeria police and consequently claim that Nigeria has failed to protect the rights to life, liberty, protection, fair hearing and right to enjoy family life of the five persons who were bread winners of their homes.
The plaintiffs also claimed that the failure of Nigeria to investigate, discipline and prosecute the police officers involved violated their rights as enshrined in the African Charter on Human Rights.
The plaintiffs also sought an order for Nigeria to conduct an independent inquiry into the disappearance of the five persons, and publish a letter of apology to them (plaintiffs) in five national dailies.