Skip to main content

Lekki Toll Gate Shooting: Lucky Philemon demands N225m damages

Lucky Philemon says he needs the money to attend to his medical issues and inconvenience suffered.

A man who claims to have been a victim of extra-judicial shooting by security forces of Lagos State has demanded compensation in the total sum of N225,450,000 from the government.

Lucky Philemon told the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Saturday, February 27, 2021 that he was one of the victims shot by soldiers at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.

Troops of the Nigerian Army had approached hundreds of Nigerian youths protesting against police brutality on the evening of the incident and opened fire at them.

While the military has since claimed that soldiers only fired blank ammunition to disperse the crowd, eyewitness accounts from the tragic day have accused security forces of shooting live ammunition, killing a yet-to-be-determined number of protesters, and injuring over 30 others.

Philemon told the panel on Saturday that he was protesting at the toll gate alongside others when soldiers attacked and shot him in the leg.

The construction worker said he was subsequently moved to Reddington Hospital in Victoria Island around 9 pm.

His left leg was eventually amputated at the hospital due to the injury he suffered from the toll gate shooting.

The petitioner prayed to the panel to award him $50,000 for foreign prosthetic limbs, N1.5 million for psychological support, N5 million for subsequent medical care, and N200 million as damages for inconvenience.

During a cross-examination, counsel for the Lagos State Government, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN), pressed the petitioner for when he was shot and admitted to the hospital.

He said that contrary to Philemon's claim, he wasn't admitted to Reddington Hospital until around 11:30 pm, with the time of shooting estimated at 11 pm.

Owonikoko, citing a medical report from Reddington, said security forces of Lagos State could not have been responsible for the petitioner's injury because they already left the toll gate at the recorded time of his shooting.

The lawyer further established that anyone that was out in public spaces in Lagos around 11 pm was doing so in violation of a 9 pm curfew order, and therefore could not hold the government responsible for injuries suffered.

Chairperson of the panel, the retired Justice Doris Okuwobi, noted that the hospital records cited by Owonikoko was yet to be tendered as evidence before the panel.

The case was therefore adjourned indefinitely until Reddington can appear before the panel to provide evidence regarding many victims that they treated following the toll gate shooting.

ridoola.blogspot.com.ng

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Okpebholo suspends A-G & LG Chair under 3 months over finance dealings

The Edo Government has announced the suspension of Samson Osagie , its Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, and Damian Lawani , chairman of the Local Government Service Commission. Mr Musa Ikhilor , Secretary to the State Government (SSG) announced the suspension in a statement in Benin on Thursday morning. ALSO READ: Kano Govt suspend 2 school principals for alleged absenteeism, negligence Ikhilor said the two-state top officials were suspended over allegations of “grave official and financial interactions”. Okpebholo suspends Edo Attorney-General and LG Service Commission Chairman According to him, the suspension, which takes immediate effect, is pending the conclusion of an investigation into the allegations. The SSG said; It is hereby announced for the information of the general public that Gov. Monday Okpebholo has approved the suspension from office of the Chairman of Edo Local Government Service Commission, Damian Lawani and Commissioner for Justice, Samson Os...
Post a Comment
Read more

List of America's one-term presidents & why they were not re-elected

U.S. President Joe Biden becomes the most recent entrant in a list of president who served for only one term. U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he would not be seeking re-election for a second term in the November 5, 2024 elections. Biden, in a statement said that he would be focused on completing his remaining term, endorsing his Vice President Kamala Harris as his most preferred nominee for the Democratic Party to take on former President Donald Trump. Joe Biden endorses Kamala Harris as Democrats' candidate after withdrawing from race [X:@JoeBiden] Biden now joins a list of former U.S. Presidents that only served for one term. John Adams (1797-1801) The second president of the United States, John Adams was a Founding Father who faced significant challenges during his presidency, including conflicts with political adversaries and foreign nations. His support for the Alien and Sedition Acts, perceived as a violation of civil liberties, contributed to his unpopulari...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tinubu appoints MKO Abiola's son, Jamiu as SSA on Linguistics & Foreign Matters

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Jamiu Abiola as the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Linguistics and Foreign Matters. The appointee is one of the children of the late Chief Moshood Kolawole Abiola , the winner of the 1993 presidential election annulled by General Ibrahim Babangida . According to a statement by Segun Imohiosen , the Director of Information and Public Relations, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Wednesday, November 27, 2024, Jamiu's appointment took effect from November 14, 2024. Imohiosen said the appointment aligns with the provisions of the Certain Political and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) Act 2008, as amended. Until his recent deployment, the appointee served as the Special Assistant to the President of Special Duties in the office of the Vice President. Tinubu tasked Jamiu to work closely with the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and bring his wealth of experience to bear in his new ...
Post a Comment
Read more