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Today we remember Apo Six” incident, where six young Nigerians were murdered by police officers in Abuja. The victims, Chinedu Meniru, Augustina Arebu, Ifeanyi Ozor, Anthony Nwokike, Paulinus Ogbonna, and Ekene Isaac Mgbe, were falsely accused of being armed robbers and were killed on June 7, 2005.
The incident happened when the group was returning home after a night out, and encountered a police patrol. A confrontation allegedly occurred when Danjuma Ibrahim, a senior officer, made advances towards Arebu, which she rejected. In retaliation, Ibrahim falsely reported to the checkpoint officers that he had spotted a gang of armed robbers.
At the Gimbiya Street checkpoint, the police stopped the victims’ Peugeot car and opened fire, killing four on the spot. The two survivors were executed the following morning under the pretense that they attempted to escape. The police then attempted to cover up the killings by branding the victims as armed robbers and displaying purportedly recovered weapons from their car.
Public outrage led to the formation of a Special Investigation Panel, which indicted six officers: Danjuma Ibrahim (Deputy Commissioner of Police), Othman Abdulsalam (Chief Superintendent of Police), Nicholas Zakaria (Assistant Superintendent of Police), Ezekiel Acheneje (Police Constable), Emmanuel Baba (Police Constable), and Sadiq Salami (Police Constable). They were charged with criminal conspiracy and culpable homicide. However, CSP Abdusalam mysteriously disappeared from his cell and has been in hiding since.
In remembrance, the victims’ families usually gather at the site of the incident in Abuja to mourn their loved ones. They lament the partial judgment and the subsequent reinstatement and promotion of Ibrahim Danjuma who was a major actor in the saga. Many Nigerians continue to demand justice, as some key figures in the killings still walk freely…..Seê _ Morê
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