Ladipo marketers reopen N4bn suit against Police

 by  abdulmumini adeku ,Ramon Oladimeji

The youths of the popular Ladipo International Market, Lagos State, under the auspices of Ekwulobia Imeobi Youths Association on Wednesday reopened a case against the Nigeria Police over the alleged extra-judicial killing of four of its members in 2001.

The youth group had in 2001 taken the Nigeria Police before a Lagos State High Court in Igbosere demanding N4bn as cost of damages for allegedly killing four of its members extra-judicially.
It was alleged that officers of the Aguda Police Station in Surulere did the killing.
The slain were named as Anthony Ezenwafor, Chukwuemika Ezeofor, Izuchukwu Ezeama and Alloysius Osigwe.
The deceased were said to be traders and apprentices under one Mr. Jude Okoli, a businessman at the market.
According to the youths, policemen attacked and killed the four men on July 21, 2001 in their apartment at No. 48, Olaitan Street, Surulere, Lagos.
At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, counsel for the youths, Mr. Abiola Akerele, informed Justice Oyindamola Ogala that though the Aguda Police Station had been served with the prosecution’s processes since 2001, they had yet to reply.
The defence counsel, Mr. Jonathan Ogunsanya, however begged for more time to regularise the position of the defence.
Justice Ogala subsequently adjourned till October 23, 2014 for further hearing.
The Ekwulobia Imeobi Youths Association are seeking in their suit a declaration of the court that the killing of its members by police officers was unconstitutional, extra-judicial, illegal and an infringement on their right to life, liberty and dignity.
They prayed the court to award a sum of N4bn as damages and compensations to the families of the four victims for the unjust and illegal termination of their lives.
They also want a court order directing the police authorities or any other persons or body of persons to conduct full and unbiased investigation into the incident with a view that punitive measures be taken against all those found to have had hands in the dastardly act.
In a 21-paragraph affidavit with which the group supported its case, one of them named Akaraka Ezeonara said, “The information I got was that robbers went to the house of the deceased on July 21, 2001 and began shouting ‘Alloy Alloy’, which was the name of one of the deceased.
“The deceased realising that the people shouting were robbers, removed their window glass and escaped out of the building through the window.
“After the robbers had gone, the deceased went back to their house and not long after, the police arrived and immediately shot three of them – Ezenwafor, Ezeofor and Ezeama, without any effort at arresting them or telling them what offences they were alleged to have committed.
”The police later said they shot the deceased on mere suspicion without the foundation that they were armed robbers.”