News / Africa
Over 30 mystery corpses found floating in a river in Nigeria
07 Mar 2013 at 06:53hrs | Views
One of the orpses found floating on the Ezzu River
The International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law has condemned the silence of the Federal Government of Nigeria on the Ezu River mystery corpses, Punch reported.
According to Naij News, "On January 19, the people of Amansea in Anambra State went to the banks of the Ezu River to swim, wash, and draw water. Instead, they found a sight that jangled their spines and made them recoil in horror. Bobbing along in the river were numerous corpses. As to the exact number, we were soon treated to the typical fogginess. According to the police, there were eighteen or nineteen corpses. But some members of the community insisted there were many more: perhaps more than fifty."
In a statement in Onitsha on Tuesday, the Chairman of Intersociety, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, said it was sad that the country's Federal Government was pretending not know that over 20 young men, who were dumped in the river, were murdered extra-judicially.
He said, "The leadership of the Nigeria Police Force should formally condemn the atrocious acts of its officers and men in Anambra State and administratively sanction those officers involved.
"Strong efforts should be made by the Force High Command to ensure the total stoppage of these criminal conduct of its officers and men not only in Anambra State but also in its entire 6,551 field formations in Nigeria.
"The Special Anti Robbery Squad in Anambra State should be disbanded and collapsed into the State CID and rebranded as specially and conventionally trained crime detectives and investigators or rebranded special anti violent crimes' squad."
Umeagbalasi also called for the rebranding and reorientation of the police in order to remove the bad ones among them.
He added, "The Federal Government should expeditiously set up a special independent and credible panel of enquiry to unravel the circumstances leading to the horrific tragedy.
"Part of its terms of reference will be to exhume all the bodies hurriedly evacuated and buried for credible autopsy to credibly establish the circumstances of their death.
"Maximum security should be provided for victims and witnesses wishing to testify before the panel or observe and contribute during its proceedings.
"The Federal Government should undertake the sole responsibility of paying adequate compensations to the families of the nine MASSOB activists killed extra judicially by its Police Force as well as their funeral expenditures.
"In paying the compensations to their family members, each, especially their wives or mothers, should receive compensation equivalent to the five years salaries and allowances of the serving Nigeria's Inspector General of Police."
According to Naij News, "On January 19, the people of Amansea in Anambra State went to the banks of the Ezu River to swim, wash, and draw water. Instead, they found a sight that jangled their spines and made them recoil in horror. Bobbing along in the river were numerous corpses. As to the exact number, we were soon treated to the typical fogginess. According to the police, there were eighteen or nineteen corpses. But some members of the community insisted there were many more: perhaps more than fifty."
In a statement in Onitsha on Tuesday, the Chairman of Intersociety, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, said it was sad that the country's Federal Government was pretending not know that over 20 young men, who were dumped in the river, were murdered extra-judicially.
He said, "The leadership of the Nigeria Police Force should formally condemn the atrocious acts of its officers and men in Anambra State and administratively sanction those officers involved.
"Strong efforts should be made by the Force High Command to ensure the total stoppage of these criminal conduct of its officers and men not only in Anambra State but also in its entire 6,551 field formations in Nigeria.
"The Special Anti Robbery Squad in Anambra State should be disbanded and collapsed into the State CID and rebranded as specially and conventionally trained crime detectives and investigators or rebranded special anti violent crimes' squad."
Umeagbalasi also called for the rebranding and reorientation of the police in order to remove the bad ones among them.
He added, "The Federal Government should expeditiously set up a special independent and credible panel of enquiry to unravel the circumstances leading to the horrific tragedy.
"Part of its terms of reference will be to exhume all the bodies hurriedly evacuated and buried for credible autopsy to credibly establish the circumstances of their death.
"Maximum security should be provided for victims and witnesses wishing to testify before the panel or observe and contribute during its proceedings.
"The Federal Government should undertake the sole responsibility of paying adequate compensations to the families of the nine MASSOB activists killed extra judicially by its Police Force as well as their funeral expenditures.
"In paying the compensations to their family members, each, especially their wives or mothers, should receive compensation equivalent to the five years salaries and allowances of the serving Nigeria's Inspector General of Police."
Source - Punch
