Justice Oyindamola Ogala of Court 53 of Lagos High Court has fixed July 10 for the hearing of a criminal case involving the gruesome murder of four traders allegedly by some policemen in Surulere, Lagos on July 1, 2001.
While the case was mentioned yesterday at the court, none of the respondents was present. The respondents include, Abubakar Muhammed, the inspector-general of Police, attorney-general of the federation, attorney-general of Lagos State and Marvelous Akpoyibo, retired Deputy Inspector of General who was then Lagos Commissioner of Police among others.
Jonathan Ogunsanya, counsel to the respondents pleaded with the court that a good number of the respondents or their representatives will be present at the next sitting. Akaraka Ezeonara, one of the plaintiffs and leader of Ekwulobia Youths Association, a group to which all the murdered young men belonged, expressed confidence that justice will be achieved.
For about fourteen years, Ezeonara has relentlessly made efforts to bring the police men who he believes, killed the young men, to justice. Inspite of the several delays and frustrations he has had to contend with, Ezeonara remained focused on what he described as a “divine assignment, which must be accomplished.”
Presently, he is working with the National Human Rights Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, which has provided him and other plaintiffs, with counsels to pursue the case.
Anthony Ezenwafor, Chukwuemeka Ezeofor, Izuchuwu Ezeama and Alloysius Osigwe, four traders at Ladipo Main Market, Mushin, Lagos were alleged to have been gruesomely murdered by trigger-happy policemen from Aguda Police Station, on July 1, 2001 at Surulere.
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