Nigeria’s Civil War: FG To Pay N88bn

The Federal Government on Monday said it had agreed to pay a whopping sum of N88 billion to destroy remnant of landmines and bombs used during the Nigerian Civil War, including compensation to victims, among others.

The sum of N50 billion, out of the money,  is for compensation of the victims, while N38bn is for the destruction of landmines and rebuilding of public buildings affected by the war which took place between 1967 and 1970, mainly in the South-East zone, and some parts of the South-South and North Central zones.

About 493 victims of the war were said to have been earlier enumerated.

The affected states are the five states in the South-East zone – Imo, Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, and Enugu; four states in South-South – Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Cross River; and one North Central state – Benue.

This agreement was part of the resolution reached by the Federal Government and other parties to a suit filed on behalf of the victims and adopted on Monday by the Community Court of the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja as its judgment.

The suit filed by 20 plaintiffs, led by Vincent Agu on behalf of other victims and their communities was marked ECW/CCJ/APP/06/2012.

The suit is one of the three suits filed by the victims.

The six respondents to the suit, which agreed to the consent judgment, included the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and the two companies contracted by the Federal Government in 2009 to de-mine the affected areas – RSB Holdings Nigeria Limited and Deminers Concept Nigeria Limited.

Parties to the suit also agreed that the terms of settlement shall operate as “full and final settlement of all claims” arising from the suit marked: ECW/CCJ/APP/06/2012 and two other suits filed on the same issue.

The other suits covered by the agreement are, ECW/CCJ/APP/10/2014 (Dr. Sam Emeka Ukaegbu & 7 others v. President, FRN & 6 others) and ECW/CCJ/APP/11/2014 (Placid Ihekwoaba & 19 others v. President, FRN & 6 others).

The Federal Government is to pay the total sum of N88bn within 45 days from Monday.

The schedule to the judgment disclosed that the plaintiffs would be the beneficiaries of the N50bn compensation while the two companies engaged for the destruction of the land mines would be the beneficiaries of the N38 billion.