Emene Killings: Group Urges Gov Ugwanyi To Set Up Judicial Panel Of Inquiry

A pan-Igbo group, Nzuko Umunna, Monday, expressed shock over what it called 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 Services (DSS) and Nigerian Army’. The group, while commiserating with the families that lost their loved ones in the clash, called on Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to set up a judicial panel of inquiry to examine the remote and immediate causes of the fracas.

Nzuko Umunna, in a statement made available to THE WHISTLER in Enugu, regretted what transpired, stating that, ‘The constant killing of unarmed Igbo youths by security operatives was unacceptable and must stop’, but however called on Igbo youths to ‘refrain from retaliatory attacks’.

According to the statement jointly signed by Ngozi Odumuko, the group’s coordinator, and its secretary, Paschal Mbanefo, “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).”

The group however commended Governor Ugwuanyi for his prompt visit to the scene, and pleaded with him to set up a judicial panel of inquiry to unravel the immediate and remote causes of the incident, including the exact number of victims, with a view to bringing the perpetrators to justice.

The Nzuko Umunna, in the statement, also called on the chief judge of Enugu State, Honourable Justice Priscilla Emehelu, ‘to urgently convene a coroner’s inquest on these extra-judicial killings’, and further called on the Southeast Governors’ Forum to implement the region’s security network to reassure residents of the region of their security’.

Echoing the statement, “We urge the Southeast Governors’ Forum (SEGF) and the Southeast Joint Security Committee to urgently activate the long-awaited regional security network to reassure citizens on the security of lives and property.”