BY Emeka Mamah
ENUGU—TWO families in Nsukka, Enugu State, have dragged the Chief of Army Staff, COAS, the General Officer Commanding, GOC, 82 Division, Nigerian Army and the Commander, Nsukka Military Urban Patrol Team, to an Nsukka High Court over alleged extra-judicial killing of their two sons.
The families of Ferdinand Onah and Peter Obute alleged that military personnel attached to the Nsukkka Military Team arrested and subsequently killed Chukwuebuka Onah, 25, a second year student of Mechanical Engineering student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, UNN, and Obiechina Obute, 27, an NCE holder. The petitioners claimed Onah and Obute were both killed last month (July).
According to a suit filed by their lawyer, Mr Elly Ugwu, Chukwuebuka who was a highly talented artist and Obiechina who read Fine and Applied Arts from the College of Education, Technical, Enugu were arrested along with one Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP Uchenna at Cleson Guest Inn, Ofulonu, Nsukka about 7.45 pm on July 10, 2012 and taken to their different homes for search apparently to get incriminating materials, which were however, never found.
The plaintiffs who filed the action in pursuant to Order 2 Rule 1 of the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules, 2009, sought a declaration that the alleged arrest and subsequent killing of the two young men by the respondents were illegal, unconstitutional and a flagrant breach of their fundamental rights to life as guaranteed by Section 33 of the 1999 of the Constitution, as amended.
They are equally demanding the award of N100 million jointly and severally against the respondents for unlawful killing of the deceased.
In a 25 paragraph affidavit deposed to by Peter Obute, father of Obiechina, he said: "The deceased were beaten mercilessly by the said officers and taken to their Military Base in Nsukka" before they were transferred to the 82 Division and killed.
No date has been fixed for hearing of the case.
Vanguard Nigeria