A Federal Capital Territory High Court has ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay the sum of N50 million to the family of slain Abuja-based journalist Alex Ogbu.

Ogbu was covering a protest by members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria, who were demanding the release of their leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, when he was hit by a bullet from one of the police officers deployed to the scene on January 21, 2020.

The police had claimed he died after he fell and hit his head on a stone, but the autopsy done on the corpse revealed that the cause of death was blood loss resulting from gunshot injuries..

Determined to bring justice to Alex Ogbu, a group of activists known as Justice for Alex, along with prominent lawyer and human rights activist Femi Falana (SAN), took legal action against the police and the Nigerian government. Sadly, the case experienced multiple adjournments, and it took nearly a year for the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) to file the respondents’ defense.

A statement issued by the co-Coordinators of Justice for Alex, Gerald Katchy and Dimeji Macaulay, on Wednesday, said Justice Mohammed Abubakar of the Federal Capital Territory Court in the Kurudu area of Abuja ordered the police to pay the sum of N50 million to the family of the late journalist.

The statement read, “Today we have been vindicated by the court and justice has been served, after three and a half years of legal and political battles. The case suffered so many adjournments with frustrations but we remained undaunted.

The family also released a statement saying, “Today we have been vindicated by the court, and justice has been served, after three and a half years of legal and political battles. The case suffered so many adjournments with frustrations, but we remained undaunted.”