Senate demands compensation from Army

The Senate has urged the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigerian Police Force, and other paramilitary organisations to ensure that they place a high premium on inter-agency cooperation and collaboration as a means of achieving the target objectives of the National Defense Policy.

On Tuesday, the upper chamber specifically directed the Nigerian Army to pay a condolence visit to the Eke community in the Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State to condole the families of those wrongly killed, sympathise with the injured, and pay some compensation.

Senate’s resolutions followed recommendations made to that effect by its committee on Ethics and Public Petitions that investigated the unwarranted killings and attack on Eke Neighbourhood Guards by officers of the Nigerian Army in Eke, on June 29, 2023.

The Senate as also recommended in the report of the committee headed by Senator Imasuen Neda ( Labour Party Edo South), directed the Nigerian Armed Forces to discharge non-core duty in aid of civil authorities to ensure that they educate the civilian population about their rules of engagement, modes of operation, and the importance of information sharing.

It also directed its committee on compliance to ensure that the resolutions of the Senate are complied with.

Senator Imaseun in the report, gave a graphic account of how two of the Eke Neighbourhood Guards were killed by soldiers on 29th June, 2023.

The report read, “That one faithful day, precisely on Thursday, 29th June 2023, some members of the Eke Neighborhood watch, while attending an event at 9th Mile, Udi Local Government, Enugu State, received a distress call around 6 pm, that some hoodlums have blocked the road leading to Eke community from the Nigerian Breweries.

“That, prompted by, the intelligence reports they received about the robbery attack along Eke road, the Neighborhood watch embarked on a rescue mission to salvage the situation.

“That on receiving the distress call, the CSO of the Neighborhood Watch, his deputy, and some members of the vigilante group who were all at 9th Mile for the event, notified the DPO, 9th Mile Police Station of their intention to proceed to the crime scene to rescue the victims and based on his assurance that the police are also coming, they immediately proceeded to the scene of the incident.

“On their way to the crime scene, they met a traffic gridlock around the AMA Breweries (Nigerian Breweries plc.) which made it impossible for members to arrive at the crime scene with their Patrol vehicle, hence, they had no option but to proceed to the scene on foot.”

It further said, “On getting to the scene of the robbery, they met 3 soldiers who ordered them to stop and they obliged.

“After they stopped, the guards who were fully kitted with their uniforms and identification cards, but without their patrol vehicle, informed the soldiers that they were members of the Eke Neighborhood Vigilante Group, this made the soldiers ask them to proceed.

“On getting closer to the soldiers, the soldiers opened fire on them at close range killing two people, namely: Mr. Chukwuemeka Okeh and Mrs. Nechinyere Mbah. While the Assistant CSO, Emeka Anigbo, Obinna Offor, and Okolo Chinedu, sustained various degrees of Gunshot Injuries.”