The Federal Government, on Monday, agreed to pay a total of N88bn for the
complete destruction of the remnants of landmines and bombs used during the
Nigerian Civil War.
The money is also for other purposes, including
compensation of the victims, and the reconstruction of public buildings in some
parts of the states affected by the war.
Of the N88bn, the
sum of N50bn is for the compensation of the victims while N38bn is for the
purpose of the destruction of the landmines and rebuilding of public buildings
affected by the war, which took place between 1967 and 1970, mainly in the
South-East geopolitical zone and some parts of the South-South and the
North-Central geopolitical zones.
About 493 victims of the war were said to have been enumerated.
The affected states
are the five states in the South-East – Imo, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu;
four states in the South-South – Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Cross River; and
Benue State in the North-Central.
This agreement was
part of the resolution reached by the Federal Government and other parties in a
suit filed on behalf of the victims and adopted on Monday by the Community
Court of the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja as its
judgment.
The suit, filed by
20 plaintiffs, led by Vincent Agu on behalf of other victims and their
communities, was marked ECW/CCJ/APP/06/2012.
The suit is one of
the three suits filed by the victims.
The six respondents
to the suit, which agreed to the consent judgment, included the Federal
Republic of Nigeria, and the two companies contracted by the Federal Government
in 2009 to de-mine the affected areas – RSB Holdings Nigeria Limited and
Deminers Concept Nigeria Limited.
Parties to the suit
also agreed that the terms of settlement “shall operate as full and final
settlement of all claims” arising from the suit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/06/2012,
and two other suits filed on the same issue.
The other suits
covered by the agreement are ECW/CCJ/APP/10/2014 (Dr. Sam Emeka Ukaegbu & 7
others v. President, FRN & 6 others) and ECW/CCJ/APP/11/2014 (Placid
Ihekwoaba & 19 others v. President, FRN & 6 others).
By the judgment,
the Federal Government is to pay the total sum of N88bn within 45 days from
Monday.
The schedule to the
judgment disclosed that the plaintiffs would be the beneficiaries of the N50bn
compensation while the two companies, engaged for the destruction of the land
mines, would be the beneficiaries of the N38bn.
The N50bn is meant
for compensation to the victims (for the physical injuries they suffered),
their families and communities for having been deprived of the use of their
farmlands since the cessation of the civil war hostilities in 1970 owing to the
continued presence of mines and other post-war ordnances.
The N38bn is said
to be “full and final consideration for total and complete de-mining and
destruction of any and all landmines and bombs found within the victims’
communities; and rebuilding all the public buildings contained in Schedule 2 to
this Terms of Settlement.”
Part of the N38bn
was directed to be spent on the “construction of 50 units of one-block of 10
classrooms for communities as contained in Schedule 2; training, skill
acquisition for victims and members of their communities; provision of prosthetics
where required; and cost of this litigation on the 4th and 5th respondents (the
two contractors).
By the consent
judgment, the Federal Government also agreed to construct one block of 10
classrooms for 50 communities currently barred from using their school
facilities because of the presence of bombs and other post-war relics.
Parts of the terms
of settlement read, “That the Federal Republic of Nigeria undertakes to
complete the de-mining and destruction of land mines and bombs in the Nigerian
Civil War affected states of South-East, South-South and part of the
North-Central geopolitical zones of Nigeria as contained in Schedule 1 to this
Terms of Settlement.
“That the Federal
Republic of Nigeria undertakes to pay, without delay, compensation in the sum
of N50bn in full and final sum to the victims, their families and communities
as contained in Schedule 4(1) to the Terms of Settlement.
“That the Federal
Republic of Nigeria undertakes to pay a total sum of N38bn as contained in
Schedule 4(2) to this Terms of Settlement for the purposes of carrying out
total demining and destruction and rebuilding of public buildings. Construction
of classrooms, provision of prosthetics etc. and all other activities
enumerated there under.
“That the Federal
Republic of Nigeria undertakes to mobilise the 4th and 5th respondents back to
work to complete the final phase of the ongoing removal and destruction of
post-war lethal materials, the 4th and 5th respondents, having satisfactorily
carried out the first phase of the contract.
“That the Federal
Republic of Nigeria undertakes to set up in the South-East, the National Mine
Action Centre in Owerri, lmo State of Nigeria.”
The document
containing the terms of settlement signed by all the parties to the suit was
adopted by the ECOWAS Court as its judgment.
The suit was filed
on May 2, 2012 by 20 plaintiffs, led by Vincent Agu, who had sued for
themselves and as representatives of the victims of the war, “including the 493
victims pre-enumerated by the Ministry of Defence through RSB Holdings.”
The document was
signed on behalf of the plaintiffs by Chief Noel Chukwukadibia, Alex Williams
and Chiemeka Okereke.
Prominent lawyer,
Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), and Mr. Shola Egbeyinka, signed the document on behalf
of the Federal Government, while Mr. Charles H. T. Uhegbu and Solomon
Chukwuocha signed on behalf of the two de-mining companies.
Also, Dr. Charles
Onuoha, Chief Alams Chukwuemeka, Moses Emeanuru and Ijeoma Ufom signed on
behalf of stakeholders/interested parties.
Source: PunchNG
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