The police should work within the law
After a trial that lasted for almost a decade, Justice Ishaq Bello, who also doubles as the Chief Judge of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, recently delivered judgment in the case filed against six police men.
They were charged for the extra-judicial killing of five young auto-spare parts dealers in Apo, a satellite town in Abuja, and a young woman, on the night of June 7, 2005. Two of the police personnel, Ezekiel Acheneje and Baba Emmanuel, were found guilty for their roles in the murder of two of the victims, Anthony Nwokike and Augustina Arebun and were accordingly sentenced to death.
However, the families of the deceased traders have since raised dust about the judgment and the acquittal of Deputy Commissioner of Police, Danjuma Ibrahim, who was believed to be the leader of the gang and had been indicted by previous investigations, including the police authorities. But given the twists and turns in the unfortunate saga that claimed the lives of the six innocent citizens who were returning from a night club when they were stopped at a police checkpoint, we are not surprised that the trial ended this way.
Indeed, it took public condemnation, outrage and protests before the federal government under President Olusegun Obasanjo could take a decision to look into the killings. First, a police probe panel chaired by then Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Mr. Mike Okiro found the six policemen culpable and recommended their immediate dismissal. Similarly, a judicial panel of inquiry established by the federal government against the backlash of protests resulting from the killings, chaired by Justice Olasumbo Goodluck, asked the government to tender a public apology and pay a N3 million compensation to each of the deceased families. The federal government has since complied with those recommendations.
More instructively, the judicial panel established that the account given by the police was false. The police had claimed that the victims, aged between 21 and 25 years, were members of an armed robbery gang that had opened fire on the officers when accosted at the checkpoint.The panel also recommended the six policemen, including two officers for trial. Those indicted were Danjuma Ibrahim, Othman Abdulsalami (said to be at large), Nicholas Zakaria, Ezekiel Acheneje, Baba Emmanuel, and Sadiq Salami.
Only two were eventually convicted based on their confessional statements which they attempted to recount. Three others, including Danjuma Ibrahim were set free, discharged and acquitted by the court for want of evidence while one remains at large.
However, the manner the trial was conducted has since raised serious questions touching on the credibility of the justice system in Nigeria. Apart from adopting a discriminatory bail policy, there was no reason for the trial to last for 10 long years. The trial suffered from countless adjournments mostly on frivolous grounds. The fact that there was a conclusion was because of sustained public interest in the matter.
While we once again commiserate with the families of the murdered citizens, we hope lessons have been learnt. There is no justification in the law for these despicable acts of violence and intimidation against ordinary law-abiding citizens. Unfortunately, reminding some of our police personnel of these fundamental guarantees is sometimes an invitation to be visited with more brutality. Strident attempts have been made to draw attention to these atrocities, bordering on outrageous violations of the constitutional rights of citizens. And yet, they still go on almost every day.
All said, we hope that the police authorities will learn some lessons from the Apo six tragedies and begin to inculcate in their officers and men that they are law enforcement agents and not licensed thugs. Even when they are manning roadblocks!