From Kehinde Adewole
A lecturer at the Federal University of Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Wole Balogun has been awarded a sum of N100,000 being compensation for both physical and emotional assualts he suffered from the attack on him by some officials of the Nigerian Army who brutalized him on February 3, 2015 in Okeyinmi area of Ado-Ekiti.
Balogun who is a former staff Writer with The Daily Sun newspapers and Ekiti State Correspondent of the national daily, was beaten black and blue by the officials of the Nigerian Army while he made attempt to assist a commercial driver of an unmoving vehicle which caused a traffic logjam around the Okeyinmi area when the soldiers swooped on him and beat him till he bled profusely.
According to him, the tragic incident made him sick for several weeks thereby causing him to lose certain emoluments he was to get from discharging his duties. He said the britalization by the soldiers dehumanized and demoralized him such that he opted to leave mainstream journalism for lecturing.
While delivering his jugdement on the matter on Thursday, the Chairman of the Judicial panel of Enquiry, retired Justice Cornelius Adebayo, said it should be put on records that the Nigerian Army was duly served the notice of the hearing of the case but that it refused to appear as at the time of giving Recommendations on the case.
According to the Jugde, the panel found the testimony and evidence given by Balogun to be true and found him worthy of being compensated with a sum of N100,000.
Justice Adebayo said: ” We believed the Petitioner’s sworn testimony and his claim that he suffered both physical and emotional assualts from the soldiers. The trauma of which he said still live with him till today. We therefore award a sum of N100,000 for him for both physical and emotional assualts he suffered.
Responding to the development, Balogun praised the Nigerian government, Ekiti State Government, ably led by both President Mohammadu Buhari and Dr. John Kayode Fayemi for deeming it fit to set up Judicial panels of enquiry which are looking into matters of human rights abuses that have happened in Nigeria. He also commended the chairman and members of the Ekiti State Judicial panel of Enquiry for a job well done.
