Odi Massacre: FG asked to pay N37.6 Billion in 21 days.

Part of the affected areas in Odi

Now you can say money cannot be equated to life but i would say, "not always". I am sure you are wondering what my innuendo is based on. Here we go;

If you can recall in 1999 during the reign of Olusegun Obasanjo, when he ordered the invasion of Odi community  on November 20, 1999 when a group of people in the community abducted six policemen. The six law enforcement agents were killed despite entreaties by various social movements, prompting Obasanjo to issue a 14-day ultimatum to the government of Bayelsa State to produce the perpetrators of the crime.
The military expedition on the community left hundreds of people dead, even as all privately-owned property were levelled by the soldiers.

What did the community and civil organisations do?  The perceived injustice meted out to the small community was taken to the court of law by various civil organisations.

The result? Delivering judgment in a class suit No FHC/PH/CP/11/2000, Justice Lambo Akanbi of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, described the military invasion of the community by troops of the Nigerian Army as genocidal and a gross violation of the rights of the people of the community to life and property ownership. The court ordered that a special damage of N17.6bn and a general damage of N20bn be paid to the community as compensation.

It also issued a permanent injunction restraining the respondents and their agents from attacking Odi again.