The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to pay N1.12 billion in compensation to the family of Mike Madu, a businessman killed by an INEC driver in Imo State.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, delivering the ruling on Friday, stated that INEC must pay the amount with an annual 10% interest from the judgment date until full payment is made. The court also ordered INEC, its Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, and other defendants to issue a formal letter of condolence to Madu’s family.

The lawsuit, filed by Augustine Madu on behalf of their community, sought compensation for the unlawful death of his brother. The case, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1074/2019, named INEC, its Chairman, the INEC Commissioner in Abuja, and an INEC escort driver, Hassan Abdul, as defendants.

Augustine Madu accused Abdul, a driver in the office of the national commissioner, of causing the fatal accident on June 16, 2019. Mike Madu, a successful businessman frequently traveling between China and Nigeria, was escorting two Chinese investors on a business trip when the tragedy occurred.

The accident took place on the Itobe-Anyigba Expressway in Kogi State when the Lexus they were traveling in collided head-on with a Toyota V8 Land Cruiser driven by Hassan Abdul. Abdul reportedly lost control of the vehicle, veering into the opposite lane and causing the crash. The collision led to the deaths of Mike Madu and one of the Chinese investors, Huang Hia Yan.

©CDA News