Killing of six ijaw youths: Court adjourned case to Feb. 21
Posted on 25th Jan 2013
An Effurun High Court has adjourned hearing until February 21, next month over the extra-judicial killing of six Ijaw youths by men of the Joint Task Force(JTF).
Author: By Umukpedi Emmanuel
An Effurun High Court has adjourned hearing until February 21, next month over the extra-judicial killing of six Ijaw youths by men of the Joint Task Force(JTF).
At the hearing scheduled for January 21, 2013, Justice J.E Ikede directed the lawyers of the six Ijaw youths, Messrs Omes Ogedegbe to properly serve the Chief of Army Staff and the JTF commandant with the various motions.
Justice Ikede also advised wives of the killed youths not to come to court with their children, who caused a lot of distraction during the court proceedings. He told them to stay back home with their children if they would not be able to leave them behind.
The dead men’s lawyer has filed a civil action against the Chief of Army staff, the JTF Commander and sector I commander, demanding two billion naira as damages and a perpetual injunction restraining the Nigeria Army from executing anybody arrested during their operations.
The family’s lawyer, Barrister Omems Ogedegbe recently led a delegation of Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative represented by Comrade Austin Ozobo to Aranka barracks, Lagos sequel to a letter of invitation from the Nigeria military police.
According to Barr. Ogedegbe, they were received by one Captain Sulieman who led them to the commander who expressed his dismay over the senseless killings of the Niger Delta youths and assured them of the Chief of Army staff decision of a full scale investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, tension is still high in some oil bearing communities in Delta and Bayelsa states, following what was described as the extra-judicial murder of six men from the region which the Joint Task Force claimed were sea -pirates, and have been terrorizing the riverside.
But human rights activists, Barr. Omems Ogedegbe and Comrade Austine Ozobo, the National Coordinator, Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative (IPDI), however countered the JTF claims by producing a photograph allegedly taken by a sympathizer just before the men were executed by the JTF, which revealed that it was extra-judicial killings that was done by the JTF.
Barr Ogedegbe said it was wrong for the JTF to have killed the men without following due process. He called on the Chief of Army Staff, to probe the extra-judicial murder by the JTF, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, under the pretext that they were sea pirates.
Comrade Ozobo explained that although, seven men were arrested by the JTF, one of them got drawn while the others were brought to land and later executed by JTF operatives.
JTF Media Coordinator, Lt-Col Onyema Nwachukwu claimed in a statement on the incident, “About 5pm on June 23, troops of JTF Operation Pulo Shield at Agge while on patrol along River Ramos, encountered a gang of seven suspected pirates. On sighting our troops, the pirates opened fire and our patrol troops immediately returned fire. Six pirates were killed in the encounter while one escaped into the river with gunshot wounds.”
Items recovered from the hoodlums, included one 200 horse power speedboat, two single barrel gun, seven mobile phones, two hack saw blades, four wraps of substance suspected to be Indian hemp and four torchlight’s.
In the latest development, he denied the allegation, stressing that those killed by the Task Force were sea pirates, who had been terrorizing the riverside communities.
At the hearing scheduled for January 21, 2013, Justice J.E Ikede directed the lawyers of the six Ijaw youths, Messrs Omes Ogedegbe to properly serve the Chief of Army Staff and the JTF commandant with the various motions.
Justice Ikede also advised wives of the killed youths not to come to court with their children, who caused a lot of distraction during the court proceedings. He told them to stay back home with their children if they would not be able to leave them behind.
The dead men’s lawyer has filed a civil action against the Chief of Army staff, the JTF Commander and sector I commander, demanding two billion naira as damages and a perpetual injunction restraining the Nigeria Army from executing anybody arrested during their operations.
The family’s lawyer, Barrister Omems Ogedegbe recently led a delegation of Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative represented by Comrade Austin Ozobo to Aranka barracks, Lagos sequel to a letter of invitation from the Nigeria military police.
According to Barr. Ogedegbe, they were received by one Captain Sulieman who led them to the commander who expressed his dismay over the senseless killings of the Niger Delta youths and assured them of the Chief of Army staff decision of a full scale investigation into the matter.
Meanwhile, tension is still high in some oil bearing communities in Delta and Bayelsa states, following what was described as the extra-judicial murder of six men from the region which the Joint Task Force claimed were sea -pirates, and have been terrorizing the riverside.
But human rights activists, Barr. Omems Ogedegbe and Comrade Austine Ozobo, the National Coordinator, Ijaw Peoples Development Initiative (IPDI), however countered the JTF claims by producing a photograph allegedly taken by a sympathizer just before the men were executed by the JTF, which revealed that it was extra-judicial killings that was done by the JTF.
Barr Ogedegbe said it was wrong for the JTF to have killed the men without following due process. He called on the Chief of Army Staff, to probe the extra-judicial murder by the JTF, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, under the pretext that they were sea pirates.
Comrade Ozobo explained that although, seven men were arrested by the JTF, one of them got drawn while the others were brought to land and later executed by JTF operatives.
JTF Media Coordinator, Lt-Col Onyema Nwachukwu claimed in a statement on the incident, “About 5pm on June 23, troops of JTF Operation Pulo Shield at Agge while on patrol along River Ramos, encountered a gang of seven suspected pirates. On sighting our troops, the pirates opened fire and our patrol troops immediately returned fire. Six pirates were killed in the encounter while one escaped into the river with gunshot wounds.”
Items recovered from the hoodlums, included one 200 horse power speedboat, two single barrel gun, seven mobile phones, two hack saw blades, four wraps of substance suspected to be Indian hemp and four torchlight’s.
In the latest development, he denied the allegation, stressing that those killed by the Task Force were sea pirates, who had been terrorizing the riverside communities.
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