Kudirat Abiola’s children slam $10m suit on FG over failure to protect mother

Children of late Kudirat Abiola, wife of the presumed winner of the 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola, have dragged the Federal Government to court for what it claimed the government’s “failure to protect’ her”.

The suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/62/2022, before the ECOWAS court of justice in Abuja was filed by Khafila Abiola, Moriam Abiola, and Hadi Abiola who have human right lawyer, Femi Falana as their counsel for and on behalf of other Kudirat’s children.

They are challenging the “violation of the fundamental human rights to life and dignity of human person of the late Mrs Abiola”.

They argued that “the failure or refusal of the defendant to protect the life of late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola in the republic of Nigeria amounts to a violation of Articles 1,4,5,18 and 23 of the African Charter.”

“The combined effect of the said provisions of the African Charter and the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria is that states will be held responsible if they fail to act with due diligence to prevent violations of the rights or actively involved act which amounts to the violation of the plaintiff right (as in this case), and for providing adequate compensation,” the plaintiffs argued.

“Under the combined provisions of Articles 1, 4, and 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which the federal republic of Nigeria is a signatory, the respondent has infringed on the right of the deceased to life, dignity of her person and security.”

They are seeking “a declaration that the killing of Mrs. Kudirat Abiola by the armed agents of the defendant in Lagos on June 4, 1996 is a violation of her rights to life and dignity guaranteed by articles 4 and 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and articles”.

They are also asking the court to make a declaration “that the refusal of the defendant to charge Sergeant Barnabas Jebila (a.k.a. Rogers), Mohammed Abdul (a.k.a Katako), and Aminu Mohammed Sergeant Barnabas Jebila with murder for the brutal killing of Mrs. Kudirat Abiola in Lagos on June 4, 1996 is a violation of her rights to life and dignity guaranteed by articles 4 and 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and articles”.

That the court make an order “directing the defendant to charge Sergeant Barnabas Jebila (a.k.a. Rogers) Mohammed Abdul (a.k.a Katako) and Aminu Mohammed with murder for the brutal killing of Mrs Kudirat Abiola in Lagos on June 4, 1996”.

And that the court directs the defendant “to pay the sum of $10 million to the applicants as compensation for the unlawful killing of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola”.