The families of six victims of extra-judicial killings by police officers that shook Abuja in 2005 have expressed disappointment over the reinstatement and ‘speedy’ promotion of one of the alleged arrowheads, a deputy commissioner of police (DCP), charged with the murders.
The then DCP, Ibrahim Danjuma, and four other officers were tried for the killing of the five automobile spare-parts dealers and a woman between the night of June 7 and 8, 2005.
The victims had spent time at a club on Gimbiya Street, Area 11, and were returning to their home in Apo neighbourhood when they encountered some police officers who opened fire on them after an altercation.
The police had initially said that the victims, whose ages were between 21-25 and included a woman, were armed robbers.
But a panel set up by President Olusegun Obasanjo to look into the matter dismissed most of the accounts by the police and recommended Mr Danjuma and his men for trial.
The five officers and eight other witnesses testified before the panel that Mr Ibrahim, the most senior of the accused officers, allegedly ordered the killings.
All the officers were immediately placed on suspension by the police.
Also Read: Death Sentence: 10 Things You Should Know About ‘Apo Six’ Murder Case
Twelve years later, two of the officers were convicted and sentenced to death, but the FCT High Court presiding judge, Ishaq Bello, said there was no evidence to convict Mr Danjuma and two others.
In November 2017, the police confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Danjuma had been reinstated but said the reinstatement was approved by the Police Service Commission which relied on the judgement of the FCT High Court that freed him after finding him not culpable.
Mr Danjuma’s rank was restored, his accumulated salaries from June 2005, were also paid with plans to send him on a refresher course, a police memo published by Sahara Reporters showed.
Not done yet, a few days ago, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris decorated Mr Danjuma with his new rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), according to Daily Trust Newspaper.
Family members of some of the deceased persons are already protesting the perceived injustice.
“I am highly disappointed with the way the federal government and the judiciary system of Nigeria has treated the Apo six case,” Elvis Ozor, brother to one of the deceased said.
He described Mr Danjuma’s reinstatement and ‘speedy’ promotion by the police as a classic case of injustice and abuse of law.
“After all the facts that were gotten from the panel of inquiry indicting this same man, at the end of the day, justice was not delivered and as if that is not enough this man was reinstated and even promoted to the rank of AIG.
“He was paid all his salaries up to date while we the family of the deceased is yet to be paid compensations from the government directly.
“We are disappointed. This shows that there is nothing like one Nigeria, it’s a camouflage statement. We are being neglected,” he said.
He, however, expressed resolve to keep “pushing and crying foul to this injustice done to me and my family. It is unacceptable.”
“How can six people commit a crime and they only sentenced two, leaving the main pillar of the case, Ibrahim Danjuma?” Monica Arebu, the mother of the only female victim queried.
“Now I hear he has been reinstated and promoted. This is unfair,” she added.
Mrs Arebu said all efforts geared towards appealing the judgement has been “slowed down by legal processes”.
The March 9 judgement by the FCT High Court on the matter can be appealed but it is only the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, that can either appeal the ruling or issue an ‘extended fiat’ to another lawyer to go ahead with the appeal.
Over a year later, Mr Malami has refused to do either.
The post [PHOTO] Families Of Murdered Six Apo Igbo Traders Lament As Alleged Killer Police Officer Promoted To AIG appeared first on LATEST NIGERIAN NEWS BREAKING HEADLINES NEWSPAPERS.
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