Apo 8 killings: NHRC never indicted me – AGF

Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, has refuted media reports that the AGF was indicted by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in its panel of inquiry reports into the murder of some squatters in an uncompleted building at the Apo district of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

A statement issued yesterday in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Ambrose Momoh, said: “The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation wishes to inform the general public to disregard the media reports especially as they relate to the Attorney-General of the Federation because the Attorney-General of the Federation appeared as a Judge Advocate for the proceedings of the

NHRC and at no time was any general or specific allegations made against the person or Office of the Attorney general of the Federation to warrant a finding by the Commission or indictment as reported in the media.”
He, therefore, advised the general public to carefully read the Decisions and Orders of the Commission dated April 7, 2014, in respect of Complaint No. C/2013/7908/HQ, which confirms that no such indictment was made against the Office.

“The NHRC merely ordered and directed that ‘The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is to ensure that evidence of payment is lodged with the Registry of the National Human Rights Commission within thirty days of the present decision.”
The statement further clarified that: “The above quoted words cannot by any stretch of imagination be construed as an indictment on the Attorney-General of the Federation as he is only expected by the NHRC to ensure that the awards made against the Government of the Federation are paid within the stipulated period.”