PRESS STATEMENT BY NZUKO UMUNNA ON EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS AT EMENE, ENUGU STATE

1. Nzuko Umunna views with shock and deep concern the extra-judicial killings that occurred on Sunday, August 23, 2020 at Emene, Enugu State involving Igbo youths and operatives of the Nigerian Police, Department of State Service (DSS) and Nigerian Army.
2. We commiserate with all the families that lost their loved ones in the latest bloodletting.
3. Nzuko Umunna notes that there are widespread reports that these extra-judicial killings took place when security operatives invaded a peaceful meeting of the youths, while the Enugu State Commissioner of Police Ahmed Abdurahman conceded that many of the youths “escaped with bullet wound and police have started tracing them.”
4. We note with grave concern the constant killing of unarmed Igbo youths by security operatives. This is unacceptable and must stop. However, we urge Igbo youths to refrain from retaliatory attacks.
5. It is noteworthy that extra-judicial killings are a violation of the right to life as enshrined in Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999; Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR), and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
6. Nzuko Umunna commends Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his prompt visit to the scene of the extra-judicial killings. In particular, we urge the Governor to set up a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to unravel the immediate and remote causes of these wanton killings including the exact number of victims, with a view to bring the perpetrators to justice.
7. Nzuko Umunna requests the Chief Judge of Enugu State, Honourable Justice Priscilla Emehelu to urgently convene a coroner’s inquest on these extra-judicial killings.
8. In finding a sustainable framework towards resolving the longstanding security challenges and extra-judicial killings in the region, we urge the South East Governors Forum (SEGF) and the South East Joint Security Committee to urgently activate the long-awaited regional security network to reassure citizens on the security of lives and property.

SIGNED
Ngozi Odumuko Coordinator

Paschal Mbanefo
Secretary

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ABOUT NZUKO UMUNNA
Nzuko Umunna is an Igbo socio-cultural think tank with members both in Nigeria and the diaspora.