Civil war land mines: Court orders FG to pay N88bn compensation to communities

*FG to rebuild schools, classrooms in affected communities, 47 years after

Andrew Orolua, Abuja

The Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Court on Monday ordered the Federal Government to pay some communities in 10 states where land mines were laid during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war the sum of N50 billion as compensation.

The Community Court also ordered the Federal Government to pay another sum of N38 billion to RSB Holdings Nigeria Limited and Deminers Concept Nigeria Limited to clear the abandoned bombs.

The Federal Government had in 2009 engaged both companies to clear 302 land mines locations identified in the 10 states after the civil war but the companies stopped work due to lack of payments.

This is contained in an out-of-court settlement agreement signed by lawyers representing Vincent Agu and 19 others victims who filed the suit against the Federal Government. The agreement was adopted yon Monday by ECOWAS Community Court as its judgment in the Suit No ECW /CCJ/ APP/ 06/ 2012 filed by the victims.

Succour came to the victims, 47 years after the end of the Nigeria civil war and the declaration of “no victor no vanquish ” in 1970 by the Federal Government.

A breakdown of the compensation according to the agreement and the consent judgment, showed that N50bn will go direct to the victims of the land mines in 20 locations in Benue State, victims in 26 locations in Enugu State, victims in 30 locations in Abia State and victims residing in eight locations in Cross Rivers State.

Others are victims residing 12 locations in Ebonyi State, victims of land mines residing in 21 locations in Delta State, victims in 38 locations in Akwa Ibom State, victims in 60 locations in Rivers State, victims in 21 locations in Anambra State and victims in 66 locations in Imo State, while the remaining N38bn will go for the evacuation of abandoned bombs and other lethal weapons and construction of schools, courts, churches and mosque among others in the affected areas.

In the consent judgment read by Justice Friday Chijioke Nwoke, the Federal Government is expected to pay the N50bn into the United Bank of Africa (UBA) account with number 1018230076 belonging to Chief Noel Agwuocha Chukwukadibia, the nominated lawyer for the war victims and another N38bn to be paid into another UBA account with number 1016296801 belonging to Deminers Concept Nigeria Limited for RSB Holdings Nigeria Ltd and Deminers Concept Nigeria Ltd who are expected to evacuate all the abandoned bombs and other dangerous weapons in the farmlands, schools, churches and mosques of the war victims and to also carry out construction works.

Besides, the Federal Government will by the consent judgment establish a National Mine Action Centre in Owerri, Imo State for victims in the South East region.

In order to ensure transparency and accountability, the Federal Government will also set up a Special Purpose Vehicle that will comprise all necessary stakeholders in the terms of settlement.

“That the Federal Republic of Nigeria undertakes to construct one block of 10 classrooms for 50 communities presently barred from using their school facilities because of bombs and other post war relics; construction of court houses, churches and worship centres where explosive ordinance were found.”

The consent judgment further indicated that medical experts employed on behalf of the Federal Government to screen and identify true victims of the war, acknowledged that 685 persons were selected and classified as survivors while 493 of them including those who sued the Federal Government were confirmed as victims of either landmines or other dangerous military ordinance including locally fabricated weapons and confirmed to be entitled to compensation.

The consent judgment further acknowledged that a total of 17,000 bombs were recovered in the war ravaged communities and destroyed by RSB Holdings Ltd and Deminers Concept Nigeria Ltd, while a total of 1,317 bombs are still in the stockpile located at the Mine Action Centre, Owerri, Imo State in addition to large quantities of live bombs that still liter in communities of the war victims.

The judgment further held, “That every landmines, unexpected, ordinance and explosive remnants of war discovered in the course of the job should be completely destroyed.”

It further indicated that the Federal Government as part of its responsibility undertook to remove and destroy without further delay all the stockpiles bombs at the Nigerian Mine Action Centre located at Plot 108, Ndubisi Kanu Street, New Owerri, Imo State.

Parties, according to the consent judgment, agreed that the war victims apart from their direct physical injuries, their families and community at large have been deprived of the use of their farmland since the civil war hostilities that ended in 1970, hence the agreement to clear the war affected areas of the post war ordinances.

It was also agreed that RSB Holdings Nigeria Ltd and Deminers Concept Nigeria Ltd having satisfactorily performed the first phase of clearing and destroying the post war bombs should be mobilised back to site to complete the final phase of the ongoing demining process.

The representatives of the victims of the Nigerian civil war, including the 493 victims previously enumerated by the Federal Ministry of Defence had through their agents, Vincent Agu and 19 others dragged the Federal Government before the ECOWAS court demanding N100bn and another order of the court compelling government to clear and destroy all the post-civil war bombs and other dangerous weapons of war abandoned in their various communities and farmland since 1970.

The plaintiffs claimed that apart from physical injuries, the abandonment of the war weapons has deprived them of the use of their farmlands, schools and churches, hence their demands for compensation.

Though the suit was filed at the regional court in 2012, the Federal Government opted for out- of-court settlement with the war victims, prompting the court to adopt the terms of settlement by government and the war victims as consent judgment delivered on Monday.

Some key signatories to the terms of consent settlement that was formed by the ECOWAS Court judgment are Hon. Noel Chukwukadibia and Alex Williams for the applicants, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), Sola Egbeyinka, Charles Uhegbu and Solomon Chukwuocha for the Federal Government and its agencies, while Dr. Charles Onuoha and Chief Alams Chukwuemeka for the stakeholders.

Those Protecting Maina Make It Difficult To Arrest Him – Magu

Francesca Iwambe- Abuja

Ibrahim Magu, acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says those offering protection to Abdulrasheed Maina, ex-chairman of Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), have made it difficult for the Agency to arrest him.

Magu, who did not disclose the identity of the persons allegedly protecting Maina, absolved himself of any blame in connection to the initial escape of Maina.

In 2013, Maina fled the country after the EFCC declared him wanted over alleged pension fraud.

The top civil servant returned to the country
Those Protecting Maina Make It Difficult To Arrest Him – Magu under controversial circumstances and was reinstated as a director in the ministry of interior.

President Muhammadu Buhari ordered his dismissal and demanded a probe.

Speaking when he featured on Sunrise Daily, a programme on Channels Television, Magu described Maina’s reinstatement as “devastating”.

He said the anti-graft agency would not spare anyone involved in it.

“We would go after everybody who is involved. I am telling you, we will not spare anybody,” Magu said.

“He has people who are protecting him and that has made it difficult for us to get him arrested. You can imagine, he was promoted. It is devastating, it is beyond my understanding.”

When asked if he knew the whereabouts of Maina, he said: “Of course if I knew why would I be appealing to Nigerians to give us support.

“We are determined to get to the root of this matter. That’s why we have renewed the investigation. We will retrieve all property or whatever must have been stolen from public funds.

“This is something that we have done as far back as 2011. The matter has been in court, and Maina was also charged before the court. He was arraigned in absentia. I assure you, we will get him sooner or later. The national assembly is supporting us. We are collaborating and we are also giving them support. We have no problem with national assembly.”

Magu said the support from other security agencies was not satisfactory, while calling on them and other Nigerians to give more support to the anti-corruption fight.

“There are some support, synergy, cooperation from time to time but it is not satisfactory because every security agency has some responsibilities in the fight against corruption,” he said.

“I want us to be fully committed in the fight against corruption because the greatest enemy of Nigeria today is corruption and the corrupt people are now celebrating.

“The way the media and other Nigerians can help us is to give us information to get Maina arrested.”