A group, Justice for Alex, has called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr Kayode Egbetokun, to as a matter of urgency ensure justice for Comrade Alex Ogbu, who was brutally shot and killed by men of the Nigeria Police on January 21, 2020, during a protest by the Shiites in Berger Roundabout, Abuja.
A statement signed by the group’s co-coordinator, Gerald O Katchy explained that since the gruesome murder of Alex Ogbu, his family, friends and Comrades have been crying for justice and have taken several steps in this regard, including medical, political and legal steps.
Katchy further said: “Permit us to inform you that five years down the line, we are still in this struggle for justice because as law-abiding citizens, we believe one of the inalienable rights we hold as citizenry is the right to judicial redress. We therefore saw to it to activate this mechanism to get Justice for Comrade Alex Ogbu.
“Of cause, while not losing cognizance of the fact that, no amount of -posthumous- justice will ever bridge the irreparable loss that befell the family and Alex’s comrades but then, for history and also towards ensuring that trigger-happy, brutal, unprofessional and killer Police Officers who populate the rank and file of the Nigeria Police Force are exposed and duly sanctioned and weeded out.”
Katchy said that after more than three years of legal battle, on Wednesday, June 21st, 2023 Justice Mohammed Abubakar of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), sitting at Court 58 in Kurudu, Abuja, ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay the sum of N50,000,000 to the family of the late Comrade Alex Ogbu as compensation for his killing.
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“To date since after the Judgement cum Court Order, the police has not complied with this Order. It also did not appeal against it, and so it simply treated the Pronouncement of a competent Court of the Land with pure scorn and impunity,” said Katchy.
Katchy said that several efforts have been made to make the Police see reason and obey court Judgement, but all have not yielded the desired results as the Police authorities have adamantly ignored the court order and deliberately frustrated all attempts to pay the family the judgment Sum awarded it.
Katchy also disclosed that letters were written to the Police Service Commission, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the National Assembly, and the Inspector General of Police on this issue, but were also met with rebuff.
The group stated that it was important to let the World know that the Police have refused to obey a duly pronounced Court Order and also the travails of the family in the face of the impunity of the Police by their conduct through these years.
Katchy revealed that the poor grieving family to date has not received an apology nor any compensation whatsoever, for the act of the police.
According to Katchy, Comrade Ogbu left behind an unemployed wife with a two-year-old daughter, now six years old.
Katchy noted: “We want to use this auspicious occasion to passionately appeal to well-meaning Nigerians from all walks of life and Organisations to join us to compel the Nigeria Police force to obey court judgement and order.
“The last five years have been traumatising for the family and his comrades. We cannot rank ourselves as a country with law and order when the primary law enforcement agencies like the Nigerian Police Force cannot obey nor honour court judgment.
“We therefore again, call on the Nigeria Police to immediately obey the court Order and pay the family of the departed Comrade. Let us make it clear here that, we will not relent in the struggle until justice is served. It is only justice that can give us hope that we can end police brutality and that the family and comrades left behind by Alex Ogbu.
“The IGP and the Nigerian police force obeying the court judgement will stand as some level of healing to the already bad situation we have suffered with regards to police brutality and help in deterrence to other reckless and lawless police officers who may want to venture into the abhorrent route of extra-judicial killings in the future.
“We also want to make it clear that, we will again picket the Nigeria Police headquarters and also mobilise our comrades in the diaspora to do same at selected cities and important areas in no distant time if the Court Judgement is not obeyed.”
