Communication 418/12: Chief Essien Akpabio & Lady Apostle Helen Akpabio (represented by Mr. Victor Ukutt v. Republic of Nigeria Summary of facts 1. The complaint was submitted to the Secretariat'¢f the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (the Secretariat) on 16 July 2012 by Victor Ukutt & Co Legal Practitioners on behalf of the complainants. 2. The complainants allege that in Mar, 1,2, thre~:(~) whit~:r,~~inned gentlemen, allegedly workers of a company X, compaRied 'l5y Mr. B~ei" invited brothers Charles Akpabio (Charles), Emmanuel Akpabio (Emmanuel) and Joseph Akpabio (Joseph), from the village of Mente in Akwa lbom State to a meeting regarding the construction of a dam in the village. 3. During this meeting, an armed individual, believed by the complainants to be a Nigerian security officer (security guard) and Mr. N.I., arrived at the meeting and handcuffed the three Akpabio brothers;' Meanwhile, the security guard, after a conversation vyi,ltj':,Mr.B.C., shot and seriously wounded the young leaders present at the meeting'Fj 4. The complainants alleged that the security guard, accompanied by Mr. B.C., this time wearing a hood, took the three Akpabio brothers to their parents' house. Once there)Jhey took the'brot~ers, Charl~§'"randJoseph, to the banana plantation behind the house and shot them ln the pres'ence of their parents. Then four other boys and Charles and Joseph's brother Emmanuel were also executed and dumped on the side of the road in Obot Akari, Akwa Ibom State. After the execution, the complainants allege that N.I. asked Mr. B.C. to inform Senators A.E., P.1.and Chief B.I. that the op~'~ationhad been carried out. 5. The complainants allege that the execution in question was due to the fact that the father of the three Akpabio brothers owned 80% of the cultivated area and land where the dam was to be built and that the federal government had already approved compensation offive hundred million naira (N500,OOO,000),or about three million U.S. dollars ($3,000,000).