Press Statement
For immediate release
July 21, 2021.
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The Abia Civil Society Network (ACSON) is an umbrella platform of over 30 Pro-democracy and Human Rights groups based in Abia State. The network is committed to upholding respect for the Rule of Law and protection of Human Rights in Abia State, cum Nigeria as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other international human rights instruments which Nigeria is a signatory to.
It would be recalled that ACSON in a previous Press Release captioned 'Police Brutality and Chaos in Aba' on October 2, 2019, had condemned the fracas that ensured during which both officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and civilians were killed, several residential buildings razed and children and women abused and rendered homeless at the Degema/Oko-Jombo area of Ndiegoro community in Aba South LGA. This incident and other police/military brutality-related cases on October 23, 2020, impelled the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu to inaugurate a 21-man judicial panel of inquiry on Police Brutality, Extrajudicial Killing and other related Matters to investigate allegations of extrajudicial killings and brutality by security agents in the state and offer possible recommendations for victims.
ACSON, however wishes to commend the Executive Governor of Abia, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu for such great initiative which has been concluded and at the same time appreciate members of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the media for their various roles that led to the successful conclusion of the panel within a 15-week timeframe. During this period, the panel claimed it received a total of 86 petitions, of which 40 petitions were either dismissed or struck-out, while the remaining 46 petitions were fully heard. Hence a total of N511 million (five hundred and eleven million naira) was recommended by the panel as compensation to the various affected victims of police brutality and other human rights abuses within the state.
Following the official hand-over of the five-volume recommendation report to the Executive Governor by the panel, we at ACSON urge the Governor to meticulously study the said report, make it available to the public and implement the panel’s recommendations promptly. This will help to revive the hopes and lives of affected victims, some of whom have gone through hard times and severe pains, especially those whose source of income and livelihood were affected. The release of the white paper and implementation of such recommendations will also go a long way to speak volumes as an accomplishment for the present administration under the leadership of Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu. Hence the report would always serve as a guide and reference document to strengthen and promote civil/security agencies relationship in the future.
Finally, we at ACSON urge the Abia State Government, the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and other relevant agencies to prosecute perpetrators of these rights abuses accordingly as most cases heard by the panel involved lost of lives and properties. We for that reason demand that justice should be served to both living and dead as to forestall future reoccurrence of such abuses in our God’s own state.
Signed:
Amaka Biachi, Convener, ACSON
Chuka Okoye, Secretary, ACSON
Cassius Ukwugbe, Co-convener, ACSON
