ECOWAS Court Orders FG to Investigate 2016 Agatu Killings

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The ECOWAS Court of Justice sitting in Abuja has ordered the federal government to investigate the 2016 mass killings and destruction of properties in the Agatu community of Benue State, identify and prosecute the perpetrators as well as redress the victims.
Delivering judgment in a suit brought by a Catholic priest, Rev. Father Solomon Mfa ,and eleven others on Thursday, a three-member panel of the court found the government in ‘violation of their obligation to protect the human rights of the Agatu Community and prevent its violation.’
Other plaintiffs in the suit no: ECW/CCJ/APP/11/16, are, Reverend Joseph Dooga, Dr. Sam Abah, Dr.David Iordaah, Hon. Ochepo Yakubu, Hon. Terse Tange, Favour Adah Paul, Samuel Msonter Ijoho, Iorbee Bajah, Ashi Bajah, Terseer Iorbee Bajah and Movement Against Fulani Occupation(MAFO), while the President of Nigeria, the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Army Staff and the Minister of Internal Affairs are 1st to 4th defendants respectively.
The plaintiffs had dragged the federal government to the sub-regional court to address the issue of the alleged violation of their fundamental human rights.
A statement from the Communication Division of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, said the applicants claimed that within the last three years, Fulani herdsmen had carried out over 50 major attacks on Benue communities, the most prominent of them taking place in 15 out of 23 local government areas of the state including Agatu, Gwer East, Gwer West, Makurdi, Guma, Tarka, Buruku, Katsina Ala, Logo, Ukum, Kwande, Oju, Obi and Konshisha.
They further alleged that the affected communities have been completely overwhelmed and are now desolate and devastated as they have suffered wanton destruction of their properties and lives including burning down and general destruction of houses and homes, sundry household items, farms, crops, economic trees, vehicles, machineries, food stuffs, and  schools, among others.
The plaintiffs claimed that over 1,000 people had been killed, according to documents filed before the court with hundreds of thousands displaced while others are living in deplorable make shift camps and properties worth billions of naira destroyed in their communities by these ravaging Fulani Herdsmen this year alone.
They claimed that the action of the Defendants’ by not constituting an investigation panel nor taking measures to forestall a reoccurrence, amounted to negligence, was oppressive, arbitrary, capricious, and for Injuring the dignity and pride of the Applicants and for causing them great physical and psychological trauma.
The court was presided over by the President, Honourable Justice Edward Asante, but the judgment was read by Honorable Justice Dupe Atoki, wherein the Court also ordered the government to provide adequate security by deploying more security personnel to 

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