Lawyers Alert has taken up the matter of the wrongful killing by the Nigerian Army of one Master Ipaven Paul AYEM, a JSS 3 student of Holy Family Catholic Secondary School, Jato-Aka, Kwande Local Government Area. The family of the young man had approached Lawyers Alert last month to seek for justice over the killing of their son by men of the Nigerian Army.
According to the family, Paul Ayem, had just closed from school and sat down to lunch outdoors when he suddenly slumped at the sound of gunshots and was found to be bleeding from the head. Closer inspection revealed a gunshot to his head. It turned out that men of the Nigerian army had taken it upon themselves to randomly fire into the air in an attempt to disperse vigilantes they were caught in an altercation with. It was in the course of this action that Paul received a bullet to the head resulting in his instant death. The sad incident took place on the 21st of March 2017.
Strangely enough, when the Nigerian Army were made aware of the incident by the family of the deceased, they became quite hostile and refused to listen to the deceased’s family against standard practice and procedure – and dismissed the death as likely caused by a bullet fired by the vigilantes.
Lawyers Alert believes responsibility lies on Government at all levels to bring to justice the perpetrators of such this act. Paul was a 17-year old in a certificate class with poor parents catering for him and hoping for an eventual reaping of the fruits of their sacrifice.
Based on the above facts and the Nigerian Army’s indifference to the family’s plight, Lawyers Alert has written to and served on the Nigerian Army, a 21 days’ notice to meet the following demands:
a. Identify and bring to book the soldiers involved in this heinous crime as their conduct was a negation of the ethics, conduct and rules of engagement of the organization.
b. The Nigerian Army serves a letter of condolence on the family of the deceased for the unfortunate and unlawful death of their son from the bullet fired by men and officers of the Nigerian Army.
c. The Nigerian Army pays to the family a compensation of two billion naira as damages for the unlawful killing of their son by men of the Nigerian Army.
A failure to meet the demands stipulated above will cause Lawyers Alert to resort to the law courts for a judicial determination of this matter.
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