Military to pay N85.5m as damages for killing civilian 8 years ago

A Lagos Federal High Court has ordered the Nigerian Army to pay N85.5 million in damages for the unlawful killing of flour merchant, Olajide Enilari, eight years ago.

The Lagos businessman was brutally assaulted by officers of the Nigerian Army on January 27, 2009 along Airways junction in Apapa, Lagos and died from head injuries sustained two days later.

Human rights campaign organization, Access to Justice, filed the lawsuit against the Chief of Army Staff, the Chief of Naval Staff, the Attorney General of the Federation and three others on behalf of the deceased's family.

According to a report by Premium Times, Judge I.N. Buba ruled that the assault and subsequent death was unlawful and a gross violation of the deceased's right to life, despite the protestations of the defendants that that he was beaten in self-defense.

In the September 26 ruling, the court ordered the defendants to pay N50 million as aggravated damages, jointly and severally, as well as N295,000 as special damages to cover for Enilari's burial expenses.

Judge Buba also granted the sum of N35 million to the deceased's family for the pain caused by the loss of their loved one by the senseless assault, with another N250,000, which totals everything at N85,545,000, granted in their favour.

Eyewitnesses of the clash had told the court that Enilari had charged at the driver of a truck filled with military personnel after he had hit him.

Despite being initially unaware of the military presence, the occupants engaged him and reportedly beat him with the iron butts of their belts and an iron rod found on the side of the road.

The defendants told the court that Enilari had hit the driver first and tried to flee before he was assaulted and then used as a human shield to escape from a mob that had gathered at the scene.

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The court dismissed the defence's version of events for lacking merit and for the organisation's subsequent neglect of proper medical care for the injured victim until he died.