Justice has finally come the way of a Lagos-based businessman, Nnamdi Anyaogu, who was shot by a Police Constable (PC), Osakiodunwmhe Otaigbe, from Ikotun Division.
The harmless and armless civilian was shot at Cele Egbe in Ikotun area of Lagos metropolis on October 2, 2009.
The victim was last week awarded N100 million as compensation, by Justice Muhammed Idris of the Federal High Court, Lagos. The damages were against the Inspector-General of Police and the Lagos State Police Commissioner, who were both variously liable for the offence commited by Otaigbe, with Force number 4323336.
The trial judge, while giving his final judgment in the joint application for the enforcement of fundamental rights of both Felix Anyaogu and Nnamdi Anyaogu awarded a sum of N100,000 and N100 million, respectively, to them.
While Nnamdi was shot on the right leg, his brother, Felix, was harassed, arrested and handcuffed.
The battle to get justice for the two brothers was undertaken by the Lagos Defence and Assistant Project (LEDAP), and Equal Right Trust (ERT) which brought the application for the enforcement of their rights to freedom of movement, life and dignity of person before the court and pursued same to a logical end.
Nnamdi fell victim to the trigger-happy Constable, when he went to explain the circumstances of the two international passports allegedly found in the custody of Felix, who had been handcuffed like a common felon by policemen. No sooner he finished his explanation that the two passports actually belonged to him and his aunt, than Constable Otaigbe barked at him to move away or got shot.
Surprisingly, however, barely few seconds after he made to leave as ordered, the cop corked his AK 47 riffle and fired at him, shattering his right leg. He fell, writhing in pains in the pool of his blood, and later became unconscious.
Reviewing the case of the applicants, Justice Idris was satisfied that a grave injustice had been committed by the police and ordered the authorities to pay N100 million compensation to the victim.
Besides, the court also restrained the respondents and their agents from further harassment or intimidation of the applicants in any manner that would infringe on their fundamental rights as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution.
The court also ordered the police to apologise to the applicants in a national daily. In addition, the court directed the respondents to pay the outstanding N257,760, medical bill and all subsequent medical bills that may be incurred by the second applicant. It is instructive to note that policemen from Ikotun, where Otaigbe was serving when committed the condemnable crime abandoned their victim at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where he received treatment for several months, before he was ejected by the hospital when he could not pay.
Following the court pronouncement, which also found Otaigbe culpable and attracted serious penalty against the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police Lagos State, both LEDAP and ERT called on the police force obey the court order as a responsible and law abiding institution.
LEDAP’s national coordinator, Chima Obiagwu, told Daily Sun that immediate and prompt compliance with the court order would go a long way in promoting the course of justice, while calling for stiff sanction Otaigbe to serve as deterrent to others, who may be tempted to behave in like manner in future.
On his part, the victim thanked the human rights groups that stood behind him as long as the legal battle lasted. According to him, without them, there was no way someone like him would have got justice in the country. He noted that the court had further proved that the voiceless and the poor could get justice when they come to the court.
Daily Sun had in its Thursday, November 19, 2009, reported the shooting of Nnamdi by the Constable. Since the incident, Daily Sun had been monitoring the developments, especially, the court proceedings, till the time the judgment was delivered on March 8, 2011.
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