A security expert, Kabir Adamu has described as impunity, attempts by the Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom to grant amnesty to wanted Benue militia leader, late Terwase Akwaza, alias Gana.
In a telephone interview with Daily Trust today, Adamu also condemned the alleged extra judicial killing of Gana, noting that the rule of law must always prevail.
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He explained that Gana who was first a vigilante, allegedly armed by the state government, was subsequently declared wanted for killing an aide of a state governor, was all of a sudden in talks with Governor Ortom.
He noted that this is the highest level of impunity, adding that since Gana was declared wanted by the Nigeria Police, the Governor should have alerted the necessary authority on the location of such criminal.
He added that, Gana was declared wanted and as such could not be granted amnesty without a judicial injunction.
However, Adamu also said extra-judicial killings cannot be condoned.
He drew attention to Agnes Callamard’s United Nations Special Rapporteur for Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions in Nigeria which pointed out certain aspects of the Nigerian Law that encouraged extra-judicial killing by enforcement officers.
He said such laws should be reviewed to ensure that extra-judicial killings are brought to an end.
He noted that Gana had prime information if debriefed would have been useful to the security architecture of the country.
Also speaking to Daily Trust, Group Captain Sadiq Shehu (rtd), said the Rule of Law and International Humanitarian Laws are sacrosanct and as such any killing of a suspect is unacceptable.
He said based on what Governor Ortom is saying, which implied that Gana was captured alive, although still remains to be verified.
He said if Gana died in gun battle like the military is saying; the soldiers have the right to protect themselves.
Shehu however, noted that what the law says is that, “if you arrest a person, he is under your control, and so as a professional military man you cannot gun him down.”
“It’s not for the soldier to decide that Gana is too bad for society, it’s the court that should decide that,” he added.
