The ECOWAS Community Court of Justice has ordered the federal government to pay the sum of N88 billion being compensation and money for total demining and destruction, rebuilding of public buildings and provision of needed materials among other things.
The order was given on Monday while granting an out of court settlement for the parties involved in the suit.
The suit is between the federal government and nine victims of the Nigerian civil war.
It would be recalled that in 2012, some mine victims of the Nigerian civil war filed a suit at the ECOWAS court seeking an order for the removal of remnants of war instruments stockpiled in eleven states of the federation.
The concerned states are in the South-East, South-South and part of the North-Central.
Among others, the remnants of war equipment are live bombs, abandoned unexploded ordnances (AXO), unexploded ordnances (UXO) and the explosive remnant of war (ERW).
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In their demands too, the victims asked the court to order the government to rehabilitate the affected areas and pay compensation for the destruction caused.
However, the two parties on October 24, sought to settle out of court.
According to the counsels involved, they had reached agreeable terms.
Granting the request on Monday, the court ordered that the parties should abide by the terms of the settlement.
Part of the terms of the settlement is for the federal government to “undertakes to pay, without delay, compensation in the summer of N50 billion in full and final sum to the victims, their families and communities as contained in Schedule 4(1) to this terms of settlement…
“That FG undertakes to the pay of undertakes to lay a total sum of N38 billion as contained in schedule 4(2) to this terms of settlement for the purposes of carrying out total demining and destruction, rebuilding of public buildings, mine centre activities, construction of class rooms, provision of prosthetics and all other activities enumerated thereunder.”
