The Inspector General of Police (IGP), order the re-open of the 13 years old alleged killing of four Igbo youths by policemen attached to Aguda part of Surulere in Lagos State in 2001.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed
Abubakar, has ordered the Lagos State Police
Command's Criminal Investigations Department,
SCID, to re-open the 13 years old alleged killing of
four Igbo youths by policemen attached to Aguda
part of Surulere in Lagos State in 2001.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that
the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN)
had recently urged the Inspector General of Police
(IGP), Mohammed Abubakar to respond to the
request of the Honourable Attorney General of the
Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, that he
provides the Honourable Attorney General of Lagos
with the outcome of police investigation into the
alleged extra judicial execution of four youths in
Lagos in 2001. The four youths are: Anthony
Ezenwafor, Chukwuemeka Ezeofor, Izuchukwu
Ezeama and Aloysius  Osigwe.
The police boss in response to NOPRIN, has
ordered that the Lagos State Police Command re-
open the case. "I have directed that the case be
re-opened. Justice must be done. Even if it means
exhuming the remains of the victims police will do
that. We must get to the root of the killings and
those culpable will be punished accordingly."
NOPRIN spokesman, Okechukwu Nwanguman, told
our correspondent that by a letter dated March, 12,
2014 and signed on behalf of the Honourable
Attorney General of the Federation by one Ofulue L.
N., an Assistant Director at the Federal Ministry of
Justice in response to an 'application from
Ekwulobia youths to do justice to four victims of
extra judicial execution by the police on July, 1,
2001, the Police boss has responded in such a
speed of lightening. This is something his
predecessors could not do since 2001."
The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation,
had requested the IGP to 'kindly provide the
Honourable Attorney General of Lagos State with
the outcome of police investigation into the matter
for further necessary action.
Nwanguman said that NOPRIN was worried that 13
years after this request, no known action was
taken by the past IGPs to ensure justice for the
victims and for their indigent parents and kinsmen
in Ekwulobia Youth Association, and to ensure that
the perpetrators are brought to account.
He recalled that on July, 1, 2001, four members of
Ekwulobia Youths Association in Lagos State,
namely; Anthony Ezenwafor, Chukwuemeka
Ezeofor, Izuchukwu Ezeama and Aloysius Osigwe
were brutally murdered by trigger-happy
policemen from Aguda Police Station, Lagos.
Nwanguman said: "Since then, members of
Ekwulobia Youths Association and the indigent
parents of the victims, represented by Mr. Akaraka
Chinweike Ezeonara, have been making relentless
efforts to bring the killing of their members to the
notice and attention of police authorities so that
justice could be done.
But these efforts have been futile and met with
alleged cover up by the police." According to him,
the four youths were gunned down by trigger-
happy policemen from Aguda Police Station on
July, 1, 2001, at No. 48, Olaitan Street, by Kilo Bus
Stop, Surulere, Lagos State. They were killed under
the suspicious of the police that they were armed
robbers working for their ex-boss, Chief Jude
Okolie whom they had earlier served before
securing their own business independence.
Police investigation on the claim, on the previous
activities of the killed four Ekwulobia youths
revealed that they were not armed robbers as
attested to by members and leadership of Ladipo
Main Market, Mushin, Lagos State who confirmed
that the four youths were bona fide members of
their market organisation.
The leadership of Ladipo Main Market, Mushin,
Lagos State then also attested to the four
deceased'  good conduct. The market organisation
leadership went further to clear the names of the
killed four youths on African Independent
Television (AIT). "Despite letters to the police by
different lawyers bringing the facts of the extra
judicial killing of the four youths to their notice for
necessary action, no serious or conclusive action
had been taken by the police authorities. One of
such letters was written by Dr. Chris Mustapha
Nwaokobia Jnr., dated November, 10, 2009."
"In response to the letter, the then IGP caused a
letter dated  December, 11, 2009 to the DIG 'D'
Department FCID Force Headquarters Abuja,
directing him to investigate; but neither the
petitioners nor their counsel had been informed of
any action taken by the DIG. "In the light of this,
Dare Adeyeye Esq., wrote another letter dated
May, 10, 2012, drawing the attention of the IGP to
this development. He implored the IGP to use his
good offices to compel the police authorities to
take necessary action as stated in his letter dated
December, 11, 2009 to the DIG."
Mr. Mike Okiro was the CP in Lagos State as at the
time the extra judicial killing of the four youths took
place and Mr. Marvel Akpoyibo was the Area
Commander of Area C, Surulere, that controlled
Aguda Police Station with Mr. Chilaka as the Police
Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command,
making spirited defence of the killings by giving the
four youths up as armed robbers. In their
determination to attain justice in this matter,
Ekwulobia Youths Association addressed a letter,
as aforementioned, dated November, 22, 2012 to
Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and
Minster of Justice.
In all this, nothing happened, until the present IGP,
Muhammed Abubakar came into the picture. "What
we did was to send a reminder letter to Abubakar
and just like that he invited us for a meeting, that
was when he indicated his intention that justice
shall be done in the matter.