64 villagers drag Buhari, 7 others to court over military invasion and alleged death of 13 young men

macfranc007 January 31, 2018 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Adeola Opeyemi

- Sixty-four villagers from Imo state have sued President Buhari and seven other defendants

- The villagers alleged an army invasion that led to the death of several people on August 4, 2016

- They are asking the defendant to compensate those who lost their relatives with the sum of N50 million each

Sixty-four villagers from Niger state have dragged the federal government under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to court over an alleged army invasion that led to the death of no fewer than 13 persons and several others injured in August 2016.

NAIJ.com gathers that other defendants in the case are: Attorney-General of the Federation, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Air Force, General Officer Commanding 1 Division of Nigerian Army and Brigade Commander 31 Artillery Brigade, Minna.

Vanguard reports that five villages in Bosso local government area of Niger state were invaded midnight by a joint military squad and the invasion left scores dead.

The villagers in the suit filed before the High Court in Minna, on Monday, sued for the enforcement of their fundamental rights, demanding N1.19 billion in damages and compensation from the federal government and the military over summary execution of 13 sons, illegal detention and torture of 54 others.

The villagers are also asking the court to ask the defendants to pay a compensation of N50 million each, amounting to the sum of N650 million to those whose sons were killed during the invasion.

Out of the 64 villagers, 54 are also asking the court to direct the respondents to pay N5 million each as compensation for the torture, inhuman and degrading treatment they received in the hands of the military officers and another N5 million as compensation for their unlawful detention in military barracks, Minna.

The applicants also sought the declaration of the court, including condemning the killings of the sons and children of the 1st to 10th applicants without lawful order of a competent court by the officers and agents of the respondents on the 4th of August 2016 as unlawful and a violation of the applicants sons’ right to life as guaranteed.

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Hearing of the suit will commence on February 20.

NAIJ.com previously reported that the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) condemned the Amnesty International (AI) over a recent report claiming that officers in the northeastern state of Adamawa committed human rights abuses against villagers around Numan in Adamawa state on December 4, 2017.

NAF said it was unfortunate that a highly respected international organisation would make such 'unfounded allegations'.

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