By Our Correspondent
A human rights group in Delta state, Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, has vowed to take the Nigerian Navy to court following the unlawful murder of two people in Warri, Delta state by an officer of the navy.
On Friday, May 12, a Naval officer shot dead two youths in Warri South Council Area who were in a meeting with a contractor over job slots made available to the Urhobo and Itsekiri groups in the area, housing the Warri Refinery and Petro-chemical company.
Chairman of the human rights group, Comrade Prince Kehinde Taiga, told our Correspondent that the youths were in a meeting in Ekpan over the criteria to share the slots made available to the community.
According to him: “There was an employment slot that came to the community where the refinery is located. 60 percent was given to the Itsekiri while 40 percent to the Urhobos.
“The Urhobos said no, why giving 60 to Itsekiri and 40 to them, it is better to make it 50/50. Even the refinery is in the land of the Urhobos. So the community now decided to come to a meeting and harmonise the matter.”
He said it was when the meeting was going between the Urhobos and Itsekiris that the Navy officer from nowhere emerged, shot sporadically into the meeting where they were discussing and two people died instantly.
He said one of the two people is a member of the Committee for the Defense of Human Rights, adding that besides the two that died on the spot, some fled with bullet wounds and others jumped into the water but painfully they have not been seen till today.
He said the naval officer is one of the people being paid with tax payers money in Nigeria to protect lives and property but rather than protect lives, the officer murdered the youths in cold blood who were holding meeting peacefully.
Consequently, Comrade Taiga said the human rights group is giving the Nigerian navy seven days with counting beginning from Thursday May 18, 2017 to produce the officer who was said to have been whisked away by other officers after shooting the two and wounding others.
“We want to see him. We are giving the Nigeria Navy within seven days to produce the officer who killed the youths so that the law could have its course.
“The navy is hiding the officer. They have to produce him within seven day. We cannot even tell how many people lost their lives in that incidence because he fired sporadically into where they were sitting. We only know of the two lost their lives, some were wounded.
“Up till now those that jumped into the water have not been found. Their corps have not been seen. We can’t tell the number of people that jumped into the water. Some ran away with bullet wounds.
“The Nigeria Navy must produce the man that shot the gun. We want to know who gave him the authority because those people were not armed. They were in a peaceful meeting to dialogue among themselves.
“The most painful thing is that the person that died is a peaceful person who has been risking his life to fight for the right of others.
“I have been crying and crying, though we know our crying cannot bring him back but the navy officer must face the law. I’m going to sue the Nigerian navy over the action, how can they kill a human rights activist and go like that?”
