Family demands N660m from NDLEA over alleged extra-judicial killing

BENIN—THE Ehigie family of Benin City, Edo State, has instituted a legal action against the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, at the Federal High Court, Akure, demanding N660 million as compensation over alleged extra-judicial killing of their son, Mr. Uyi Ehigie.

Father of the deceased, Mr. Michael Ehigie, who is the plaintiff in the suit, alleged that his son was in November 14, 2016 shot and fatally wounded by officials of the NDLEA on patrol along Benin-Akure Road.

He averred that the deceased on that fateful day was driving his commercial vehicle with number plates XC 638 RBC along Benin-Akure Road, when he was abruptly flagged down by the NDLEA officials from the Ondo Division of the agency.

The aggrieved father further stated that “in a brazen act of recklessness, the NDLEA officials fired a shot at the deceased without any just or reasonable cause.”

He averred that the NDLEA officials, on realising the extent of their professional misconduct, made frantic efforts to save the life of his son by rushing him first to Ondo State Medical Science Hospital and later transferred him to the Ondo State Specialist Hospital, Akure.

He added that his son eventually died on November 24, 2016.

The plaintiff disclosed that at his instance and the NDLEA officials, an autopsy was conducted on the deceased, which revealed “that the deceased died as a result of hypovolemic shock with septic shock due to complications from gunshot wounds to the thoracic spinal cord.”