The Federal Government’s investigative panel on police brutality yesterday awarded N146 million compensation to 27 victims of various rights violations in 20 separate cases.
The cases in which compensation was awarded include those related to extra-judicial killings/forced disappearance, torture/inhuman and degrading treatment, illegal arrests/prolonged detention, confiscation of property and threat to life.
The late Festus Idehen, who was arrested in Kaduna, brought to Abuja and later tortured to death by men of the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) was awarded N15 million; so also was the late Miss Anita Akapson, killed in front of her house by stray bullet fired by a policeman.
The panel awarded N3 million to victims of the Apo (Abuja) six killings, as their funeral expenses, which formed part of the unexecuted recommendations of the judicial panel enquiry earlier set up on the case.
