Olusegun Ariyo
The family of two-year-old Eromonsele Omhonria, who was shot in the eye by men of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Delta State, has decried abandonment, saying the toddler has not received any treatment since the incident occurred.
It was gathered that the elder brother of the victim, Ivan, died in the incident from bullets fired by the NDLEA officers.
The NDLEA officers were said to be conducting a raid nearby on July 13, 2024, when the children were struck by stray bullets.
Ivan was two years old, while Eromonsele was one year old at the time of the incident.
Speaking when the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions entertained the matter on Tuesday, the parents of the children said they had been abandoned by the agency.
Present at the House were the parents of the children, their lawyer, and representatives of the NDLEA.
According to the father, Fidelis, the surviving sibling of the unfortunate incident has been abandoned by the agency.
While addressing members of the House Committee, the lawyer of the family, Mathew Edaghese, said whenever the little boy cries, blood oozes from his eye and mixes with his tears.
According to the family, following the incident, the hospital in Delta State referred them to an eye specialist hospital in Lagos, which further referred them to a hospital in the United States.
“In respect of the surviving child with this gunshot wound to the eye, efforts have been made in his private capacity to get this child flown to where he was referred: a hospital in the United States of America. The referral was made by the Eye Foundation in Lagos, the best medical facility for eye issues in Nigeria.”
“This recommendation was made within the first week of the incident. And they were aware of it. They did nothing about it. And the family has made several attempts to get a visa,” the family said.
The family, in their petition, demanded N2 billion compensation from the NDLEA.
Chairman of the Committee, Mike Etaba, said the surviving child must get immediate treatment, but stated that the N2 billion demand was not feasible.
Etaba urged the NDLEA to accept that the matter be stepped down and settled on terms acceptable to all parties, expressing displeasure that the Chairman of the NDLEA, Buba Marwa, did not show up for the hearing in person.
He invited Marwa and the parents of the children to meet with the committee in his office on Thursday, 24th October, at 10 a.m. to resolve the issue.
Director of Prosecution and Legal Services, NDLEA, Theresa Asuquo, who represented Marwa, agreed to the terms, telling the committee that the matter was before the court and should not be entertained.
She was, however, cautioned against misleading the committee, as the matter in court was that of the State vs. the erring officers, which does not stop the probe by the House.
