Nigeria Customs Service are unwilling to pay N100m damages to the families of a farmer killed by stray bullet
Recall Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, had awarded N100 million as damages against Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) over the killing of a farmer, Abdulrahman Sani, by a stray bullet fired by Customs operatives on the trail of smugglers.
The late Sani was killed on his way to his farm, when the incident happened on November 10, 2020.
After several negotiations on the terms of compensation to the family of the deceased with NCS failed to yield desired result, the family approached the court.
The court then awarded N100 million against the NCS, directing the Customs service to pay the sum to the family of the deceased.
But the NCS decided to approach the Court of Appeal, Sokoto division for further adjudication.
The appellate court upheld the lower court’s verdict, which awarded N100 million damages.
The panel of appeal court justices, led by Justice Muhammad Maiwada on July 21, 2023 upheld the earlier ruling of the High Court.
The court said that the killing of Abdulrahman was unlawful and a violation of the deceased’s fundamental right to life guaranteed under Section 33 Subsection 1 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
It ordered the respondents to issue a public apology in a written form to the applicant for the violation of the deceased fundamental right to life.
The appellate court also ordered the respondents to pay the sum of N100 million as damages for the violation of the deceased’s fundamental right to life
