Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi had no idea that August 9, 2021 would be his last day walking on both legs. He had gone out on his motorcycle to hustle for the day when he was nearly killed by Ondo Amotekun Corps operatives. To save his life, his left leg had to be amputated.
When Amotekun operatives stormed the Araromi area of Akure and began shooting into the air, Oluwasegun was dropping off a passenger.
He claimed there was nothing incriminating on him, but an Amotekun operative shot him in the left leg at close range. The incident, according to the former commercial motorcyclist, shattered his life. He claimed that he was taken to the hospital and then abandoned without adequate medical care.
According to the father of three, his leg was amputated due to a lack of proper medical attention, limiting his ability to send his children to school and provide for their needs.
In a letter signed by his lawyer, Tope Temokun, to the Commander of the Ondo Amotekun Corps, Oluwasegun urged the Amotekun Commander to conduct an investigation into the incident and take disciplinary action against the officer who shot his leg.
In addition, he requested N2m in compensation to enable him to start a small business suitable for a disabled man. In the alternative, he requested a letter of opportunity for a means of livelihood so that he could resume his normal life.
However, Omolafe Anthony, Head of Operations and Intelligence, stated that plans were finalized to charge Oluwasegun with aiding the escape of a principal suspect in a case of kidnapping, armed robbery, and car snatching, but he was asked to return home after his family’s pleas.
According to Omolafe, Oluwarotimi was injured while attempting to steal one of his operative’s rifle. He claimed that several other law firms contacted declined to take on the case, despite his description of the compensation demand as blackmail.
Few weeks after his plea to Amotekun Commander was not heeded to, Oluwasegun filed a suit at the Ondo State High Court demanding N50m as general damages for the violation of his right to personal dignity and another N50m as exemplary damages for the violation of the his right to personal dignity, for the loss of his leg, for his permanent disability, for his emotional distress and for his perpetual mental agony and torture.
Oluwasegun sought an order mandating the Amotekun Corps to issue a letter of apology to be delivered personally to him and published in at least one reputable national daily newspaper circulating within Akure metropolis, for the violation of his fundamental rights and to assuage his mental torture and pain, in the suit filed through his lawyer, Tope Temokun.
He sought a declaration that the firing of gunshots at his leg by Amotekun Corps officers violated his fundamental right to human dignity, which is guaranteed and protected under Section 34 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s Constitution.
Oluwasegun also asked the court to declare that the act of abandoning him after shooting his leg and rendering him immobile and incapacitated, at a non-functioning medical facility of the Federal Medical Centre Owo, resulting to his further dehumanization and traumatization constituted a violation of his fundamental right to dignity of human person, guaranteed and protected under Sections 34 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999(as amended).
Delivering judgement in the suit, Justice O.M Adejumo, condemned the shooting of Oluwasegun that led to the amputation of his leg and ordered the Ondo State Government to pay him the sum of N30m as damages for the gunshot injuries he suffered in an encounter with operatives of Amotekun Corps.
The Judge granted other reliefs sought but declined the relief for an apology demanded by the Claimant.
Temokun, said the judgement would inspire him to fight more for the downtrodden and helpless in the society.
In a letter addressed to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, Temokun explained that his client resolved to seek redress in the court of law in October 2022 because of the huge debt incurred to settle medical bills as well as feed his family.
Temokun said the state government had the options to comply with the judgment of the court by paying Mr. Oluwasegun the sum awarded by the court or appeal the judgment on any good ground.
According to him, “Although the latter option is a constitutional right and legally exercisable by any judgment debtor, but we believe the government of Ondo State is not just any judgment debtor but a government whose primary responsibility is the welfare of its citizens and in this case a citizen who is now an amputee.
“No doubt, it might also be argued that the sum awarded is excessive in this case but the picture will become clearer while the sum is far from being excessive if we introspect on Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi’s state of disability and ask how much is a man’s leg worth?
“Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi is now in a state of total privation and depression consequent upon which his two children had to drop out of school and his wife abandoned him and remarried to another man.
“We, on behalf of Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi, hereby passionately appeal to His Excellency to personally wade into this matter for a lasting legacy, to intervene on the side of the needy, the poor, the disprivileged and the victim, to ensure that Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi is paid the judgment sum, so that he could start to pick up the pieces of his life.”
