Hakeem Gbadamosi, Akure
The Ondo State High Court sitting in Akure, the state capital, on Wednesday, ordered the State government and the State Security Outfit, Amotekun, to pay the sum of N30 million to a commercial motorcyclist, Olusegun Oluwarotimi, who was illegally shot by the officials of the security outfit.
While delivering the judgemennt, Justice O.M Adejumo, stated that the illegal firing of the commercial motorcyclist. constituted a violation of the right to dignity of the applicant.
According to the Judge, who noted that the shooting of Oluwarotimi by the security operatives led to the amputation of the applicant’s leg, saying it was a flagrant violation of the dignity of the victim, sheer victimization and dehumanization.
Adejumo said that the Amotekun outfit and the state government should pay the money for the exemplary and general damages to the applicant to cater for his physical and emotional injuries.
According to her, the officers of the corp acted in flagrant abuse of power and said “the illegal shooting at Araromi Street on August 9, 2021, in Akure by the Amotekun was a violation of the applicant’s human rights.
“The court hereby orders the respondents to jointly pay the sum of N20 million to the applicant as general damages and N10 million as exemplary damages,”
However, the Judge rejected the prayer of the applicant’s counsel, Mr Tope Temokun, who prayed the court to order the respondents to tender letter of apology to the applicant in a notable national newspaper.
Speaking with newsmen after the judgment, Temokun said that the applicant was helpless and hopeless after several efforts to seek redress.
He expressed joy over the decision of the court and described the verdict as an encouragement and inspiration to fight more for the downtrodden and the helpless in society.
According to him, the Amotekun Corp was created for the benefit of the society and the citizens must be its watchdog to ensure the establishment does not derail from it’s objective.
The applicant’s counsel stated that he believed the state government and the corps would obey the court’s order.
“As we leave this place this afternoon, our letter will get to Mr Governor, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and he will comply with that judgement.
“ He is not a lawless governor. He will comply and I believe that no government will use public funds to appeal a case in favour of a victim rendered disabled.
“It is their right but this government will not do it because it is the duty of the government to protect him, my client. He has been rendered disabled but his children will go back to school when the court’s order is obeyed because they had stopped going to school since,”
While hailing the judgement, the victim, said that he was glad that there was still justice in the country despite a long period of time, saying “ I thank the court and my lawyer, who had stood firmly with me. I am now an amputee with a wife and two children. It has been tough since the incident occurred but I thank God that I’m favoured at last.
He expressed optimism that the state government and the Amotekun will obey appropriately as ordered by the court.
