SAN, activists want Fulani men’s extrajudicial killing probed

Some right activists have called for an immediate investigation of the alleged killing of 11 Fulani men by some soldiers in Kachia Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The men were killed and dumped in a forest by a group of military personnel after their remains were discovered and identified by their relatives and some members of the community as those arrested by some soldiers.

According to a report from a national daily, not PUNCH, the decomposing bodies of the victims; namely Safiyanu Adamu, Abdulkadir Idris, Akilu Abdullahi, Ibrahim Abubakar, Magaji Umar, Said Saleh, Abdulaziz Yusuf, Ibrahim Sani, Musa Asabe, Nura Yusuf and Nuru Magaji were discovered earlier on Monday in a forest close to an area called “Crossing”.

Relatives of the victims and some members of the community had claimed that the victims were innocent and unlawfully murdered by the military personnel.

Adamu Idris, who is the father of one of the victims, Safiyanu Adamu, had explained that his son was arrested by the soldiers while taking him to hospital after being involved in an accident.

 Abubakar Muhammad, a relative of another victim, Akilu Abdullahi, said the Abdullahi went to the market when he was arrested by soldiers, adding that they (relatives) did not hear from them (soldiers) since his arrest until he was eventually found dead in the forest.

But the Nigerian Army has since denied involvement in the killing of the men, insisting that their soldiers don’t kill suspects in their custody.

Commenting on the matter, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Norrison Quakers, said such extrajudicial killings should be investigated by the relevant authorities, stressing that the erring military personnel should be identified and made to face the wrath of the law if found culpable.

He stated that the consequences of the soldiers’ conduct and actions should be subjected to criminal trials and the law be allowed to take its course.

He said, “There are consequences for such conducts and actions of extrajudicial killings. Of course, it must be investigated and if those persons are found culpable, they should be made to face the wrath of the law because extrajudicial killing is nothing but murder and the law of murder is very clear.

“The consequence of that is to be subjected to criminal trial and the law will take its course if found culpable. It involves a penalty which is death by hanging. Certainly, it has to be investigated not necessarily by the military.

“The Nigerian Police have the responsibility of investigating crime particularly when it affects the lives of innocent Nigerians being cut short. If it is investigated and these men are found culpable, it will be subjected to the military authority for them to look into it and those soldiers can now be subjected to Court Martial because they cannot be tried in civil court.”

Also, another rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, condemned the killing of innocent civilians, quoting Section 23 of the Nigerian constitution which protects citizens’ right to life.

He further urged that the military authority should carefully investigate the allegation and prosecute the perpetrators.

Another lawyer, Abdulkareem Ridwan, noted that the soldiers had no right to kill anybody without court order, calling for the probe of the military men involved in the killings.