Two lawyers, Barrister Natasha Akpoti and Barrister Suleiman Abdulraheem have dragged the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Commissioner of Police in Kogi state and Global Infrastructure Nigeria Limited to court for their alleged involvement in the 2008 killings in Ogaminana in Adavi local government area of Kogi state.
The lawyers, who filed the suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/981/17 on behalf of the murdered Nigerian citizens and those whose properties were destroyed, are claiming the sum of one trillion naira damages for the unlawful, illegal and extra-judicial killings in the Ogaminana massacre.
They rely on section 33 (1), 40, 43, and 46(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Articles 3(2), 4, 11 and 14 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.
The lawyers recalled that on February 26, 2008, “the fundamental rights of the people of Ogaminana in Kogi State was violated through a reprisal attack by the Nigerian Police Force, led to extra-judicial killings and destruction of properties in Ogaminana.
“This occurrence was as a result of the stoppage of GINL theft of materials and equipment by the concerned youths of Ogaminana.
“The attack led to the killing of 50 Nigerian innocent citizens, destruction by burning and razing down of over one hundred (100) houses, more than twenty (20) vehicles, and rendering over four thousand (4,000) people homeless. These were carried out by the agents/officers of the Inspector-General of Police and the Kogi State Commissioner of Police with the support of and/or in collaboration with Global Steel Holdings Limited and Global Infrastructure Nigeria Limited.”
