Man sues AEPB over wife’s death

An Abuja resident has sued the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) before an FCT High Court Jabi for causing the death of his wife, Mrs Mary James, on September 1, 2015.

Mr James Ojogbane, a retired police officer, has joined one Isah Umar, Ibrahim Ahmed, both staff of the AEPB, and Chima Emokah, a neighbour in the suit.

The plaintiff had told the court through his lawyer, Mr Emmanuel Onoja, that a staff of AEPB had pushed his wife and she fell, which led to her untimely death.

Onoja said, Emokah lodged a complaint at the AEPB against Ojogbane and family, saying that their goat was disturbing them.

Onoja said that Emokah complained that the goat usually defecated on his car park.

He said the AEPB staff commenced investigations on the premises following the report.

According to Onoja, one of the AEPB task force pushed the deceased under the guise of enforcing environmental law in the FCT.

Onoja said the woman fell and was immediately rushed to the Wuse General Hospital where she died same day.

However, AEPB counsel, Mr Azih Collins, told the court that an earlier notice was issued to the Ojogbane family to remove the goat from the premises.

Collins said that the notice was given to the family on August 25, 2015, after the AEPB task force carried out investigation on the premises.

According to Collins, the AEPB task force on September 1, 2015, went into action to clean up the environment when they noticed that the family did not comply with the earlier notice.

He, however, said that officials of the AEPB did not push the deceased as claimed by her husband when they visited the premises.

He added that it was the deceased who fought the task force officials in a bid to retrieve the goat from them when they were about taking it away.

Collins said the woman consequently fell in the process, stressing that she was not at any time, pushed by the task force officials.

He added that sections 28(D), 35(1)(D)(H) and 20(B) of the AEPB Act forbid to sell and rear animals in an open place.

Collins said that Section 36 of the Act empowers the task force to carry out their statutory mandate where a person refuses to comply with their instructions.

He further said that section 36(2) enumerates the punishment to anyone who violates the AEPB rules.

According him, an autopsy carried out on the deceased, revealed that she died of long age illness.

The autopsy, he said, also revealed that the woman had been battling with heart problem for a very long time.

Justice Halilu Yusuf of the court, however, adjourned the matter till May 11 for hearing. (NAN)