The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has been dragged to court by a human rights lawyer, Mr. Morakinyo Ogele, over the alleged shooting of two students of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), by policemen during a recent protest.
Kehinde Dada, a 100-level student of the Department of Agriculture and Horticulture and Okonofua Joseph, a 300-level Biology Education student, were killed on September 10, 2019 by bullets allegedly fired by the police.
The application was brought pursuant to Order 11 Rule 1 of the fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure Rules) 2009.
Joined in the suit are: The Nigeria Police Force(1st respondent), the Inspector General of Police(2nd), and the Police Commissioner, Ekiti Command(3rd).
In a suit number HAD/A09RFRM/2019 filed at the Ado Ekiti High court on October 30, 2019, Ogele prayed the court to determine whether it is lawful for the officers of the respondents to allegedly kill the students in such a brutal manner.
He also urged the court to determine “whether it is lawful for the court to award damages against the respondents under the circumstance.”
In an 8-paragraph written address attached to the application, Ogele described the shooting as ”an abridgement of the rights of the deceased as enshrined in section 33 of the 1999 constitution and that such action amounted to extra judicial killing.”
Ogele sought a declaration that the killing was a breach of the constitution and also demanded for an order directing the respondents to conduct a serious investigation within the Ekiti State Police Command and identify the officers responsible for the killings.
“An order directing the police to prosecute the officers. Also, being sought is an order compelling the respondents to conduct compulsory psychiatric test on their officers for the safety of the Nigerian citizens and order directing the respondents to pay a sum of one billion naira (N1,000,000,000) as damages to the families of the students.
“The families of the students must be compensated because they were only exercise their constitutional rights of protest when they were murdered by the men of the respondents,” he added.
Recall that the killing occurred on September 10 during a protest organised by FUOYE’s students to express their grievances over epileptic power supply and subsequent attack on Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Bisi Fayemi’s convoy.
Meanwhile, authorities of the tertiary institution have announced that academic activities will commence on November 11, 2019, after two months of closure.