The father of late Mr Philip Okoro, allegedly shot dead by Chief Security Officer of Uzo-Uwani LGA of Enugu State and members of his vigilante, Mr Pius Okoro, has filed a N2 billion suit against Uzo-Uwani LGA and its chairman.
The case is before Justice Martha Onuoha while hearing in the matter has been fixed for October 14, 2022.
Okoro in the suit by his lawyer, V. N. Ayogu, before an Enugu State High Court sitting in Enugu, is praying the court to declare that the shooting and killing of his son, Philip, by the Chief Security Officer of Uzo-Uwani LGA, Enugu State and members of his vigilante group is most barbaric, wrongful, unlawful, unjustifiable and violates the deceased’s fundamental rights to life and dignity of the human person as enshrined in Sections 33 (1), 34 (1) and 37 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights as well as Articles 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
He is also asking for an order directing the respondents to jointly and/or severally, pay to the applicant and his family the sum of a N2 billion as general damages for the aforesaid extra judicial killing/and unconstitutional violation of late Mr Philip Okoro’s fundamental right to life and dignity.
An order of the court directing the respondents to publicly apologise to the applicant and his family for the unlawful shooting and killing of Philip.
He is contending in the suit that the respondents knew or ought to know that the deceased did not commit any offence known to the law nor was the deceased convicted and/or condemned by any court of law to deprive him of his right to life.
According to him, “the extra-judicial shooting and killing of Philip, which took place on June 29 and 30, 2022, respectively, by the 3rd respondent and his men, agents of the 1st and 2nd respondents violated the deceased’s rights to life and dignity of his human person protected under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”