Family of slain police sues Nigerian Army, demands N300m

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The family of late Orukpe Monday, a police officer killed by soldiers in Lagos State, has sued the Nigerian Army for extra-judicial killing.

The late Inspector Monday died in August 2022 after he and his colleagues were allegedly tortured by a group of angry soldiers at the Trade Fair area of Lagos State.

It was reported that the soldiers were on their way to the Ojo Military Cantonment when an argument ensued with police operatives who were coordinating traffic on the highway.

The argument led to a fight between the policemen and the soldiers, the policemen were overpowered and two officers, including Monday, were bundled into their barracks.

Unfortunately, Monday died at the military hospital due to injuries he sustained from the assault by the soldiers.

Two autopsies carried out on the deceased by the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and the Nigerian Army Cantonment Medical Centre, Ojo revealed that he died of assault, multiple injuries and blunt force trauma.

Monday’s wife, Favour Monday, is seeking justice and compensation of N300 million for her late husband from the Nigerian Army.

The suit was filed by human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana, on Thursday, May 25, parties in the suit are Chief of Army Staff Faruk Yahaya and 10 officers of the Nigerian Army.

In the suit, Falana stated that the late police officer’s fundamental rights, as guaranteed by the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, were grossly violated.

He also asked the court to declare the torture and extra-judicial killing of the police officer as illegal and unlawful.

The suit reads partly; “We graciously pray my Lord to so hold and grant the reliefs as sought in the statement accompanying this application. On the whole, we urge your Lordship to find that this application has merit and in finding as such make the declarations and orders sought herein.”

“The applicant is a Nigerian, a resident of Otta in Ogun State and the wife of Inspector Orukpe Monday, who was gruesomely murdered by the agents of the first respondent.

“The deceased, Inspector Monday was an Inspector of the police with the Trade Fair Police Divisional Headquarters of the Lagos State Police Command, murdered on August 3, 2022, along Lagos/Badagry Expressway, Lagos while carrying out his official duties as a police officer.

“The deceased, Inspector Monday was entitled to his right to life, dignity of his person, fair hearing and presumption of innocence guaranteed by Sections 33, 34 and 36 (1) and (5) of Nigeria (As Amended) and Articles 4, 5 and 7 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (CAP A10) LFN 2004.

“The extra-judicial killing of the applicant’s husband, Inspector Monday by armed agents of the first respondent at the Lagos/Badagry Expressway of Lagos State 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 (FRN) 1999 (As Amended) and Article 4 of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Rights.

“The brutalisation and indiscriminate killing of the applicant’s husband, Inspector Monday by the respondents at the Lagos/Badagry Expressway of Lagos State on Wednesday, August 3, 2022, is wrongful, oppressive, illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void as it violates the deceased’s fundamental right to the dignity of the human person.

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