The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, revealed this to State House Correspondents shortly after this week’s federal executive council meeting presided over by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Council Chambers of the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
Malami said Wednesday’s approval was in character with the Buhari regime’s compliance with the National Human Rights Commission judgment and payment of N135m to victims and family members of victims of the Apo six killing of June 2005.
On June 7, 2005, Ifeanyi Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Augustina Arebu, Anthony Nwokike, Paulinus Ogbonna and Ekene Isaac Mgbe were driving home from a nightclub when they met a team of policemen on patrol at Garki junction in Abuja who opened fire on them.
Earlier at the club, a deputy commissioner of police, Danjuma Ibrahim, allegedly made advances at Augustina Arebu, which she “rudely” turned down.
Ibrahim then reportedly left the club and informed the policemen at a checkpoint on Gimbiya Street, Ahmadu Bello Way, Apo, that he had spotted a fleeing gang of armed robbers.
When the victims arrived at the checkpoint, the policemen opened fire on their Peugeot saloon, killing four on the spot, on Ibrahim’s orders.
Malami said the FG paid the N130m awarded by the court to the victims’ families even though the case predated the regime.
He boasted that no journalist died from human rights abuse during the regime.
Malami explained that the policy will consolidate and upscale Nigeria’s compliance with the Human Rights posture amidst “successes and achievements of Nigeria, as it relates to human rights under the current administration.”
He said, “As you will recall, the administration of president Muhammadu Buhari has established a record of being the first and only administration in the history of Nigeria that has indeed tolerated, accommodated and enforced the decision of the Human Rights Commission.
“And in this respect, talking of the Apo Six, taking into consideration, the commission adjudged the government as being in breach of the human rights of certain individuals popularly referred to as Apo Six, which unfortunate incidents predate the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“And the Human Rights Commission, adjudged the government liable to pay about N135 million to the family of the victims of the alleged infractions. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari took steps to ensure payment of the N135 million to the Apo Six in compliance with the recommendations of the National Human Rights Commission, thereby giving teeth to the Human Rights Commission in terms of compliance with the recommendation.”
He said the Committee for the Protection of Journalists, which is an international committee, had equally adjudged Nigeria as the only African country in 2022 that has fully complied in terms of the Protection of the rights of the journalists, considering that not a single incidence of death of a journalist has been recorded in Nigeria arising from infractions, relating thereto.
“Now, with those local and international successes in mind, the need has arisen for Nigeria to consolidate on the gains and upscale its provision from a local observance of the Protection of the human right to international standards by way of ensuring compliance with the best practices.
“It was in consideration of that background that a National Action Plan for the promotion and protection of human rights in Nigeria, known as Action Plan 2022 to 2026 was indeed designed, formulated by the stakeholders comprising ministries, departments and agencies,” the AGF explained.
He noted that the essence of the presentation of the council memo was to review the action plan and seek approval for its conservation or presentation before the International Human Rights Committee to establish that “Nigeria is no longer operating at a local scale in terms of the observance and promotion of human rights, but indeed upscaling its international observance to international best practices as far as the human rights, promotion and protection of human rights is concerned.”
“I am happy to report that the council deliberated and the council approved the action plan presentation before the International Committee on Human Rights,” he revealed.
