African Bar condemns alleged killing by Customs, demands probe

THE African Bar Association (AFBA) has condemned the alleged killing of a Nigerian named Godwin by men of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Sagamu area of Ogun State.

The video of the shooting, which allegedly occurred on February 17, 2019, trended on the social media showing the lifeless body of the deceased.

AFBA is calling for investigation of the event by the government of Nigeria and the African Union (AU), and if there is an established violation of the African Charter or any other municipal legislation, it should be addressed squarely and the perpetrators brought to justice.

In this regard, AFBA said it would inaugurate an independent commission of inquiry if the Nigerian government failed to act decisively.

According to the association, the narratives of the Customs on the unfortunate incident raised too many ambiguities and posed more questions than answers, given the graphic video recording, the venue of the incident and the sequence of occurrences.

“Human life should be precious to all security agencies bearing arms, and government owes it as a sacred responsibility to properly train and educate all security personnel on the rules of engagement in relation to the use of arms in non-combat situations, in order to minimize casualties to innocent civilians.”