Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi did not envisage that August 9, 2021 would be the last day he would walk on his legs unaided. He had gone out on his motorcycle for the day’s hustle when an encounter with operatives of the Amotekun Corps in Ondo State almost cost him his life.
As a matter of fact, his left leg had to be amputated before his life could be saved.
Oluwasegun had dropped off a passenger around Araromi area of Akure when some Amotekun operatives stormed the area and started shooting into the air. He said although nothing incriminating was found on him, an Amotekun operative shot him in his left leg at close range.
The erstwhile commercial motorcycle operator said his life was shattered by the incident as he was taken to the hospital where he was abandoned without proper medical care. The father of three said lack of proper medical attention caused his leg to be amputated and thus ended his ability to send his children to school or cater for their needs.
Oluwasegun, in a letter written to Commander of the Ondo Amotekun Corps and signed by his lawyer, Tope Temokun, urged the Amotekun Commander to cause proper investigation into the incident while disciplinary action should be taken against the officer who shot him in the leg.
Beside, he asked to be paid the sum of N2 million as compensation to enable him start a small business that would be suitable for a disabled man. In the alternative, he requested for a letter of offer of opportunity of a means of livelihood so that he could live his normal life again.
But the Head of Operations and Intelligence, Omolafe Anthony, said plans were concluded to charge Oluwasegun to court for aiding the escape of a principal suspect in a case of kidnapping, armed robbery and car snatching, but he was asked to go home after pleas by his family.
Omolafe said Oluwasegun sustained injury while attempting to snatch the rifle of one of his operatives. He said several other law firms contacted backed out of the case even as he described the demand for compensation as tantamount to blackmail.
A few weeks after his plea to the Amotekun Commander went unheeded, 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 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.
In the suit filed through his lawyer, Tope Temokun, Oluwasegun demanded 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.
He sought a declaration that the firing of gunshot at his leg by officers of Amotekun Corps 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.
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 in 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 judgment in the suit, Justice O.M. Adejumo condemned the shooting of Oluwasegun which led to the amputation of his leg, and ordered the Ondo State Government to pay him the sum of N30 million 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 judgment 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.
He said: “Although the latter option is a constitutional right and legally exercisable by any judgment debtor, 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 why 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.”