The group said that there has been no accountability, compliance with court orders, or redress for his family since his death.
A group under the umbrella of the Justice for Alex Ogbu Campaign has accused the Nigerian government of sustaining a policy of impunity six years after the killing of journalist Alex Ogbu, who was killed in 2020 by a senior policeman.
The group said that there has been no accountability, compliance with court orders, or redress for his family since his death.
In a press statement jointly issued on Wednesday by the campaign’s co-coordinators, Comrade Dimeji Macaulay and Comrade Gerald Katchy, to mark the sixth anniversary of Ogbu’s death, the group recalled that the journalist was shot and killed by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force while covering a protest.
The group described his killing as an attack on journalism, press freedom, and the constitutional right to life.
“Alex Ogbu was gunned down by the Nigeria Police Force while carrying out his professional duty,” the statement said.
“Six years later, the same state protects the killers, defies its own courts, and humiliates a grieving family.”
The group recalled that in June 2023, a competent court ruled that Ogbu’s killing was unlawful and ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay ₦50 million in compensation to his family.
According to the group, the police have failed to comply with the judgment nearly three years after it was delivered.
“The refusal of the police to obey a lawful court order amounts to blatant contempt of court,” the group said, adding that the continued non-compliance has further traumatized the Ogbu family and undermined public confidence in the justice system.
Rejecting claims that Ogbu’s death could be attributed to the actions of a “rogue officer,” the group argued that the killing reflected a broader pattern of repression and violent policing.
The group described the incident as part of a “repressive state apparatus” used to suppress dissent and silence journalists documenting protests and social struggles.
The group warned that the police’s refusal to obey court judgments sets a dangerous precedent, suggesting that state institutions can operate above the law even after judicial pronouncements.
The group also criticised the government’s priorities, alleging that while authorities claim a lack of funds to compensate victims, resources are readily available for weapons, surveillance, and security operations.
The group demanded the immediate payment of the ₦50 million compensation awarded to the Ogbu family, the public prosecution of those responsible for the killing and its alleged cover-up, an end to what it called the militarisation of protests, and broader resistance to state violence and impunity.
Reaffirming solidarity with Ogbu’s family and journalists facing threats in the line of duty, the group said justice would not come easily through existing state institutions alone.
“Six years after Alex Ogbu’s execution, justice remains elusive,” the group said. “Until justice is done, the struggle continues.”
Ogbu, a journalist, trade unionist, and human rights activist, was felled by a police bullet on January 21, 2020, at Berger Roundabout, Wuse, Abuja.
The incident occurred during a brutal police crackdown on protesters calling for the release of Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, the leader of a Shi’ite group, the Islamic Movement in Nigeria.
Ogbu was doing his job as a journalist, reporting on the demonstration when he was gunned down.
Initially, the police claimed he died because he fell and hit his head, but it was later revealed that he was shot in the head by a senior police officer.
The autopsy revealed that the cause of death was blood loss resulting from gunshot injuries. But the police authorities had refused to carry out the coroner's inquest in an attempt to cover for the police officer who killed Agbo.
But Justice for Alex, a group of activists seeking justice for the slain journalist, with the support of Femi Falana (SAN), a lawyer and human rights activist, sued the police and the Nigerian government over the issue.
Unfortunately, the case suffered a series of adjournments, and it took the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) almost a year to file the defence of the respondents.
Three judges have sat on the matter, and there were over 10 long adjournments before Wednesday’s ruling.
However, Justice Mohammed Abubakar later ordered the Nigeria Police Force to pay the sum of N50 million to the family of the late Ogbu.
But it was noted that despite writing letters to the police, saying the court judgement should be honoured, there has been no headway.