SUBVERSION OF JUSTICE  APO SIX CONVICTION OF TWO CONSTABLES

  

Section 33(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees life to all citizens and all within the abode of Nigeria in these words:

      “Every person has a right to life and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.”

 Section 215(3) of the Constitution gives the Nigeria Police the responsibility for “maintenance and securing of public safety and public order…”

    Yet on 8th June 2005 Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of FCT Abuja, Danjuma Ibrahim and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Othman Abdusalam who was the  Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Garki Police Station along with other junior officers of the Nigeria Police, executed 6 young persons extra-judicially inAbuja  - the nation’s capital just because the DCP Danjuma  saw one his girl friends with five Igbo young boys.

The six persons extra-judicially murdered by the Police were five traders in Apo Mechanics’ village and a girlfriend, namely:

Chinedu Meniru, from Enugu State (Igbo) – 22years old; 

Paulinus Ogbonna, 23 years old from Isiagu LGA, Ebonyi State (Igbo); 

Ifeanyi Ozor, 23 years old from Ezeagu, Enugu State (Igbo); 

Ekene Isaac, 22 years old form Enugu State (Igbo); 

Anthony Nwokike, 22 years old from Awka in Anambra State (Igbo) & 

Augustina Arebum, 24 yaers old girl from Edo State (Bini) - girl friend to Mr. Ifeanyi Ozor. 

 

DCP Danjuma Ibrahim shot and killed three of the six victims and for the fourth victim,  his girl friend, he drove into her a six inches nail between her nostrils and when she refused to die, strangled her to death. 

        CSP Othman Abdulsalam shot and killed two. The offence to the nation is not only that these innocent victims were gruesomely murdered by the Nigerian Police, kitted and paid to protect them, but that the investigation and prosecution was deliberately bungled; & police witness impudently murdered in police custody in a cover-up effort, even when it was glaring that the police men extra-judicially executed the Apo Six. 

      The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Judiciary seem to have added salt to injury by joining the Nigerian Police in their manifest lack of interest in bringing the murderous officers to justice. Twelve years after this assault on the psyche of Nigerians by Nigerian Police and despite indictment by a Government-appointed Judicial Commission of Inquiry, the kingpins of this outrage were left unpunished and two scapegoats were condemned for gruesome murders they, at best, merely assisted in executing. 

One of the killer police officers, who was indicted by the judicial commission of enquiry to have killed 2 of the victims, is still at large, having been conveniently released from a CID headquarters detention cell by his colleagues . The killer of 4 of the victims was throughout the trial out on unprecedented bail in a first degree murder indictment on very spurious grounds; and the 5thaccused also out on bail for merely being HIV positive, again in a criminal trial that carries capital punishment on conviction.

Details of the Police violations of Nigerians’ right to life and outrageous cover-ups are detailed as follows: 

On 25th of June 2005 the police officers involved, extra-judicially killed the six victims because they refused to offer gratification to them in cash or kind. 

They tried to cover up their nefarious act by branding the six, armed robbers; had guns planted on their dead bodies & had photographs taken to make them look like robbers. Thereafter, they proceeded to desecrate their dead bodies by burying them in a shallow mass grave without coffins. 

(ii)Without checking the information, the Commissioner of Police (CoP) FCT, Abuja, Mr. Emmanuel Adebayo, issued a statement branding the Apo Six armed robbers cut down whilst trying to escape. 

(iii)When the traders in Apo Mechanic Village protested the innocence of the Apo Six, Commissioner Police - Adebayo did not care to listen probably because the victims were mainly Igbo, 5th Class citizens. A demonstration and riot ensued on 9th June and 54 persons were detained.

(iv). The then Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, when the public & press roused him from sleeping on duty, set up a police inquiry panel headed by then Deputy Inspector General of Police – Mr. Mike Okiro - a week after the hideous killings. Yet, the Acting Inspector General brazenly failed protect police officer- Mr. Anthony Idam - who witnessed the killing and was already revealing to the panel how the Apo Six were actually executed by the accused police officers. On 21st June, over 13 days after the killing and 5 days after the police panel started investigating the horrific murder, police officer, Anthony Idam, was killed by poisoning with pesticide in police detention. Why he was detained at all and had to die in Police custody is yet to be explained by the Police.  Autopsy report later confirmed the poisoning by pesticide. 

The public called for the  resignation or sack of Acting IG Mr.Sunday Ehindero, but nothing happened. Not even the officer in charge of the Station where police witness - Anthony Idam – was killed, was sacked or known to have been punished in any way.

(v) On 27th June 05, the Federal Government, under pressure by the press and public, inaugurated a judicial probe under Jusice Olasumbo Goodluck. The Commission found the Nigeria Police guilty of extra-judicial killings and outrageous & and monumental criminal cover-ups.

  Ten police officers, including CSP Othman Abdulsalam - the DPO who was alleged to have executed 2 of the Apo Six, were detained in CID head quarters. On 28th June CSP Othman Abdulsalam was reported to have conveniently escaped from the topmost floor Police cell where he was detained with others. Till date, he is at large despite the fact that he had notable guarantors, like all citizens who join the Police. He is indicted of the horrendous killing but the police claim they cannot find him till date!

 South East members of the House of Representative called for the resignation of Mr. Sunday Ehindero as Inspector General of Police. Nothing happened. Not even the Commissioner or AIG in charge of the CID was disciplined. Mr.Sunday Ehindero was rather confirmed as Inspector General of Police. It would be no surprise if Mr. Abdulsalam who is supposed to be at large since 28th June 2005, is till date, drawing his monthly emoluments.

(vi)  On 27th June, Mr. Chukwudi Chukwu - a photographer who had worked with the Police for over 7 years, made it public that he had a video recording of the police cover-up of the extra- judicial killing of the six young persons. By 6th July 05, the Inspector General of Police, Mr.Ehindero, issued a statement accepting police liability for the extra-judicial killings. 

It took President Obasanjo up to August 18 – 2months &ten days after the killing - to make a comment that “the culprits will pay.”  It took 12 years after that belated Presidential bravado, to convict two scapegoats, leaving out two kingpins of this crime against humanity.

          DCP Danjuma Ibrahim, on account of overwhelming evidence, had made a confessional statement admitting guilt. But lawyers sent by powerful forces in the Federal Government, made him to change his self confession. It was arranged & his confessional statement was stolen from Police file. A photo-copy of the statement was, however, reported to have been found.  The most horrendous aspect of this apparent Nollywood movie playing out in real life was when a Minister, (now Governor of State in the North and paying herdsmen to massacre Christians at will) in President Obasanjo’s government was publicly accused of arranging unusual & unprecedented bail for DCP Danjuma in a first degree murder case. DCP Danjuma, was until discharged of charges, was on bail & lived in the comfort of his ‘posh officers’ housing estate located in Wuse 2, Abuja’; the other four police officers charged with him were in police custody. In 2006 the trial Judge seemed to have enhanced the comedy in this criminal trial by granting bail to the 5th accused - Mr. Ezekiel Acheneje - on the flimsy ground that Mr. Acheneje is HIV positive & would infect other detainees if not granted bail. Yet Nigerians know that HIV-positive persons live with their families without infecting such members. But Justice Isaq was just being consistent in his anomalous rulings. If he could grant & sustain bail to DCP Danjuma Ibrahim on grounds of diabetes, ulcer & heart problem, why not to Mr. Acheneje for being HIV positive. Mr. Acheneje, got maximum mileage from his bail in a capital offence. He hired & fired counsels indiscriminately to forestall trial. As at last count, Mr. Achenje had fired six counsels. Why should an accused who may be condemned to capital punishment at the end of trial, hurry to his conviction to death?

  Mr.President Obasanjo left office and no police officer was ever reported to have been punished for this reign of impunity, violation of the most fundamental of Nigerians’ right by security agents, the flagrant cover-ups and pervasion of justice. 

           CSP Othman Abdusalam who shot two of the Apo Six, is still at large, yet he has a family and someone stood as guarantor for him before he joined the police. The killer of 4 of the 6 victims, DCP Danjuma Ibrahim, not detained for long and free on bail for the 12 years of the trial has been discharged for insufficient evidence. Mr.Sunday Ehindero who sat on top of this revolting killings & cover-ups as Inspector General of Police was confirmed and he served out his term and retired and is enjoying the fruits of his horrendous cover ups and bungling. Commissioner of Police FCT – Mr. Emmanuel Adebayo - who started the cover up may have been promoted Assistant Inspector of General of Police or even Deputy. The AIG or DIG in charge of Criminal Investigation Department of Police (CID) under whose watch CSP Othman Abdulsalam “escaped” from detention may have been promoted Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) or may have retired. 

          It is not enough that the family of the victims have been compensated with three million naira each and that the Inspector-General of Police has apologised to the families of the victims. 

Condemning PCs Ezekiel Echeneje and Baba Emmanuel who participated peripherally in the murders and allowing the two kingpins to get away with murder is MURDERING NIGERIA.

  It is the failure or lack of will to try & punish police officers who kill at will that has encouraged the Nigeria Police to continue to kill at will. The country is today paying dearly for the 2009 extra-judicial killing of Mallam Ustaz Mohammed Yesufu, the founder of Boko Haram in police custody.

As the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe rightly proposed and the Council of Europe accepted as part of its preamble to the Guidelines on Eradicating Impunity for Serious Human Rights Violations: 

“ Considering that a lack of accountability encourages repetition of crimes, as perpetrators and others feel free to commit further offences without fear of punishment; . . . impunity must be fought as a matter of justice for victims, as deterrent to prevent violations, and to uphold the rule of law and public trust in the justice system, including rampant circumstances in which there is a legacy of mass murder of unarmed civilians by security agencies.”

Allowing the Nigerian Police top hierarchy to get away with Extra-Judicial killings has forever haunted Nigeria with humongous price in loss of lives.

The 2009 extra-judicial killing of Mallam Ustaz Mohammed Yesufu, the founder of Boko Haram in police custody magnified the Boko Haram militancy into 21015 world’s deadliest terrorist organization by number of people killed in 2014.

In December 2012, Mr. Mohammed Adoki, Attorney General of the Federation confessed in a Human Rights Day lecture that the Nigerian Police had extra-judicially killed 7,195 people (2,500 detainees0 between 2009 and 2012, and the government of Nigeria did nothing about it.

In January 2013, 19 corpses were found floating in Ezu River, Anambra State, Separatist group IPOB alleged that the corpses were that of their members detained and executed by Police unit SARS at Awkuzu. Till date no effort has been made to prove or disprove that.

IPOB and Shiites indiscriminate killings by the military and Police has exceeded 1,500 to date. 

Cattle Fulani Herdsmen Islamic militants have between 2015 and today killed over 5,000 over Southern and Central Nigeria. No show of outrage by Nigerians.   

Above are few reported cases. There are thousands. Citizens are killed everyday by security agencies.

 It seems Nigeria would forever will live in military dictatorship branded democracy, since Nigerians are not willing to defend democracy.

 Poor Nigeriens victims of former ruler of Niger Republic, Hissen Habre, banded together against him and pursued him for 19 years until UN and  AU were forced to set up a special court in Senegal which tried Habre for crimes against Humanity and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Poor women whom  Habra raped whilst in office and families of victims he killed went to court and testified against him.

Nigerians are happy to be one of the noisiest nations on earth in religiosity (certainly not being religious) the same time it is the most corrupt ( the clerk, messenger, police, pastor, Imam, customs, police, market trader etc. included). 

In the midst of the Government taking and/or allowing our lives to be taken as it pleases our rulers and no one really challenges government, Nigerians are reported to be one of the happiest nations on earth. 

That means Nigerians are happy to be on of the poorest nations on earth with very low human development and very low life expectancy at birth.

Imbeciles have no business with being sad.

Alexis Tocqueville: In a democracy, the people get the government they deserve.

REQUEST:

If the any one who knows the families of the six victims or their lawyer/lawyers would get in touch, they could be connected with international NGOs which would compel the Police and the federal Government of Nigeria to pay very high price for this crime against humanity and or complicity.

OkpalaEzeNri Emeka Onyesoh,

30/3/17