The Victims of the Nigeria/Biafra civil war says the Federal Government had yet to pay them, more than two months after it agreed to release N88 billion for their compensation.
The Federal Government had in the terms of agreement before the regional court, ECOWAS, disclosed that N50billion compensation would be paid to “true victims” of the civil war that occurred between 1967 and 1970. It also said N38 billion would be paid to contractors for total and complete destruction of abandoned bombs and landmines within the regions.
The decision followed a suit marked ECW/CCJ/APP/06/12, which was filed before the ECOWAS Court on May 2, 2012, by one Vincent Agu and 19 others against the Federal Government and five others.
A statement made available to newsmen at the weekend by the group through their leaders, Egobudike Monday Ogbowu and Ndu Pedro, read:
“On behalf of BIAFRA Civil War soldiers from Rivers state who were granted pardon and were promised to be paid off by the President Mohammadu Buhari-led government to permanently end the case in ECOWAS Court, we want to state that we have not heard or received anything.
“Federal Government had as part of the terms of agreement, promised to effect the payment through Chukwukadibia & Co and Deminers Concept Nigeria Ltd, but up till now we have not gotten gotten anything and it is making us to wonder if the Federal Government and Chukwukadibia & Co and Deminers Concept Nigeria Ltd are playing politics with it?
“If they are not playing politics with us, we urge the Federal Government to come out open and tell us the situation of things and the reason behind the delay in the payment.”
“All the parties to this suit acknowledge that 685 persons were selected and classified as survivors while 493 of them were confirmed as victims of either landmines or other dangerous military ordnance including locally fabricated weapons, hence entitled to compensation including their families and communities.”
