Nearly two years after the killing of a two-year-old toddler, Ivan Omorhiakogbe, and the shooting of his younger brother, Omorhiakogbe Eromonsele by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in Delta State, the family is yet to get justice.
Ekwutosblog reports that stray bullets from the NDLEA operatives shot the duo, resulting in the death of the elder brother, Ivan Omorhiakogbe, while his one-year-old sibling, Omorhiakogbe Eromonsele, was shot in his left eye.
Ekwutosblog also recalls that the duo were shot at their mother’s shop on Thursday, July 13, 2023, during a raid for drug peddlers in the Okpanam area of Delta State by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA.
Four months after the incident, precisely on November 5, 2023, the Delta State Government and the authorities of the agency disclosed the plan to fly the one-year-old Omorhiakogbe Eromonsele to the United States of America for treatment.
Ekwutosblog, however, gathered that 21 months after the incident, the young Omorhiakogbe Eromonsele, had not been flown to the USA for treatment nor compensation paid to the family for the killing of the
two-year-old, Ivan Omorhiakogbe.
Speaking on the incident as one of the petitions before his committee, Senator Neda Imasuen described the N20 million offer to be paid as compensation to the family by the authorities of the NDLEA as unacceptable.
Imasuen, representing, Edo South senatorial district and a member of the Labour Party, who spoke during a media chat with members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, said the upper chamber of the national assembly would not accept anything less than N100 million from NDLEA as compensation for the family.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions added that due to the unwillingness of the federal government agency to pay a reasonable amount for compensation, the committee was planning to ensure that the N100 million was taken from its budget.
“For example, among the petitions we are treating was the one between NDLEA and a family where one of their sons was killed, and the other one had a gunshot injury on his left eye.
“Why we have not disposed of it was because of the money for compensation. The issue now is that the NDLEA is offering N20 million as compensation, and we say no.
“So within the leadership of the senate, we are looking at how we are going to get this money directly from the NDLEA budget. That’s what we are working on now to see how we can compensate the family.
“The case involved the shooting of two children of the same parents by the NDLEA in Delta State. The two-year-old boy was shot dead, and then you have the one-year-old brother and one of his eyes is almost blind.
“The NDLEA accepted that it was their fault and that the gun that was shot was their own gun and it was a mistake and all that.
“But, all they were now offering was N20 million for compensation for the dead child and the other one whose eye was almost going blind.
“I thought that was nothing compared to the damage done to the family. I mean, young children of two years and one year old.
“Only God knows what he would have become in life. Whether he would have become the president of this country, the Governor of his state, among others, only God knows.
“Just to cut his life short like that, and here his junior brother is almost going blind, and all you are offering is N20 million, which was not acceptable to me. So we are discussing that they should try to make sure that they have something reasonable,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the family though their lawyer, Mathew Edaghede is demanding N2 billion as compensation.
Edaghese, who appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, while demanding for adequate compensation, opined that, “a life was lost, cut short and another destiny is being damaged because of the eye.
Ekwutosblog recalls that the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, had on November 5, 2023, while receiving the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, rtd, and his delegation at Government House during a condolence visit to the family of the two-year-old boy in Asaba, disclosed that plans had been concluded with the agency to fly the sibling to America for treatment.
Oborevwori said he had instructed the Secretary to the State Government to give a letter to the family to get an American Visa for the treatment of the child abroad.
According to the Governor, the incident that happened in July will not stop the state from going after those into illegal hard drugs.
“NDLEA did not just go to that scene to raid; there was very reliable information. We went to the Federal Medical Centre to commiserate with the family and took care of the medical bills.
“We commend the NDLEA for sending a team for an investigation to ascertain what actually happened.
“I also instructed the Secretary to the State Government to give a letter to the family to get an American Visa for the treatment of the child abroad”, he said
On his part, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, said the agency was working towards processing and fast-tracking travel arrangements to sponsor the surviving brother’s eye treatment in America.
However, nothing of such has happened as of the time of filing this report.
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