Dangote Cement to pay N49m for extra-judicial killings

The National Human Rights Commission has asked Dangote Cement Plc to pay a total sum of N49m to the individuals and families of victims injured and killed extra-judicially by the guards of the company in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State in March 2014.

 Seven persons were said to have been killed and seven others injured by the guards during a crisis which broke out in Tse-Kucha community in Yandev area of the local government on March 18.

A statement by the Chief Press Officer of the NHRC, Fatimah Mohammed, on Sunday, said Dangote Cement was expected to pay N5m to each of the families of the seven deceased persons and N2m to the seven injured persons. Continue.....

According to Mohammed, the company agreed to pay the money after the NHRC investigated the petition of the victims and families of the deceased person.

The statement read in part, “Victims and family members affected by the March 18, 2014 crisis at Tse-kucha in Yandev, Gboko Local Government Council of Benue State, have expressed appreciation to the National Human Rights Commission for its intervention in their petition on the case of alleged extra-judicial killing pending before the commission and requested it to close the matter.

“The commission had, pursuant to the receipt of the complaint, undertaken preliminary investigations and conducted hearings after which parties explored mediation and reached an agreement brokered by the Governor of Benue State, Dr. Gabriel Susuam, between representatives of the victims and 

Dangote Cement Plc.

“This amicable settlement resulted to the acceptance by the management of Dangote Cement Plc to pay a monetary compensation of five million naira (N5,000,000.00) each to the families of the seven deceased persons and two million naira (N2,000,000.00) each to the seven injured persons.”

The statement also quoted the Executive Secretary of the commission, Prof. Bem Angwe, as promising “that the commission will continue to hold any institution accountable for human rights violations committed by them.”

It added, “The affected group had earlier petitioned the commission on the alleged killing of seven youths and wounding of several others by soldiers on guard at the Dangote cement factory.”