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General News of Friday, 26 May 2023

Source: www.punchng.com

Slain policeman’s widow sues army, demands N300m

Femi Falana Femi Falana

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has filed a lawsuit against the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, over the alleged extrajudicial killing of a policeman, Inspector Orukpe Monday, by armed personnel of the Nigerian Army in August 2022.

According to Falana, the policeman was killed at the Trade Fair section of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway area of Lagos State, on August 3, 2022, in the cause of his official duties.

Joined as respondents in the suit filed on behalf of the widow of the deceased, Mrs Favour Monday, and his four children, are 10 other Nigerian Army officers.

In the suit, Falana contended that “the extrajudicial killing of the applicant’s husband, Inspector Monday, by armed agents of the first respondent on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, violates the deceased’s fundamental right to life guaranteed by Section 33 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and Article 4 of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights.”

Falana, on behalf of the family of the deceased, is urging the court to make an “order mandating the respondents to set up a special education fund of not less than N100m through the registry of this honourable court in favour of the children of late Inspector Monday Orukpe and the applicant, sufficient to cater for their educational needs from primary school to university in any educational institution they may wish to attend.”

He also urged the court to make an “order compelling the respondents to jointly and severally pay to the applicant the sum of N200m as general and aggravated damages for the illegal violation of the fundamental rights to life, the dignity of the person and presumption of innocence of Inspector Monday, their breadwinner.”