A Human rights activist and an Akure-based lawyer, Tope Temokun, has urged the Ondo state government to comply with the judgement of the Court of Appeal over the shooting of one motorcyclist, Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi, by an officer of the State Security Network, Amotekun.
The appeal was contained in a letter addressed to the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa through Tope Temokun Chambers, and signed by Temokun, praying the state governor to comply with the Appeal Court judgement and pay the N30m awarded in favour of the Oluwarotimi who was shot and amputated.
He explained to the governor in the letter that “We are Counsel to Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi of Onigari House, Canaan Land Primary School, Ijoka Street, Akure (who shall hereafter be referred to as Our Client) on whose instructions we write to you sir.
“Sir, on the 19th of November 2024, the Court of Appeal sitting in Akure, struck out the Appeal filed by the Ondo State Government against the judgment of the Ondo State High Court, delivered on the 29th of March, 2023, awarding the sum of N30million against the Ondo State Government, in favour of Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi, a 36-year-old man, who was shot in the leg by the Ondo State Security Network Agency, code-named Amotekun, in Akure.
“Recall sir, that on the 29th of March 2023, the Ondo State High Court, presided over by Justice Omolara Adejumo, gave judgment in the case filed by Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi, a 36-year-old Okada rider who was shot in the leg by the Ondo State Security Network Agency, code-named Amotekun, in Akure, on the 9th of August, 2021 and awarded the sum of N30m as damages against the Ondo State Government and the Amotekun Corps, in favour of Mr Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi, who is now an amputee.
“In awarding this sum, the court had condemned in the strongest terms the illegal shooting of the applicant in the leg that led to the amputation of his leg and has now left him in crutches”.
He stated that “Following the delivery of the said Judgment, I as Counsel to Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi, in my letter received in the office of the Governor of Ondo State on the 30th of March, 2023, wrote to the Governor of Ondo State, notifying him of the judgment and appealing for compliance with the said judgment. In the same vein, I, by a separate letter, dated 30th of March, 2023 and delivered on the 31st of March, 2023, wrote another letter to the Attorney-General of Ondo State, appealing to the Attorney-General of the State to advise the Government of Ondo State, to comply with the Court’s judgment, saying it’s against public policy to use state resources to prosecute an appeal against a vulnerable citizen who is now an amputee, after the government agency shot him in the leg.
“While the government did not reply to these letters, by the Notice of Appeal dated 3rd of April 2023, the Ondo State government filed an Appeal in No. CA/AK/84/2023, against the judgment”
“Recall Sir, that when this matter came to our attention, we did not resort to litigation. By the letter dated the 24th day of October, 2022, we wrote to the office of the Governor of Ondo State sir, to seek justice and reparation for Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi.
“Before this letter, by the letter dated 18th of October 2022, we had written to the Commandant of Amotekun Corps in Ondo State, seeking his intervention for Our Client.
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“When it became apparent that there was no more hope for Our Client as a result of the amputation of one of his legs which has drastically caused his livelihood to take a serious plunge, turning him from a man who was able to personally provide for his family to a man who looks to the hands of strangers for food and now limps on one leg with support of crutches, on the 28th of October, 2022, Mr Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi had to proceed before the Ondo State High Court to seek redress in this matter.
“On the 29th of March, 2023, the Ondo State High Court gave judgment in the case filed by Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi and awarded the sum of N30m as damages in favour of Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi,” he said.
He listed the parties in this case to include, Ondo State Government;
Attorney-general And Commissioner For Justice Ondo State;
Ondo State Security NetworkK Agency (codenamed “Amotekun Corps”).; and Commandant Ondo State Security Network Agency.
He, however, said “Before now, the government had the opportunity of one option, namely: to comply with the judgment of the court by paying Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi the sum awarded by the court, to get artificial leg and pick the pieces of his life by starting a business that befits his physical stand, not to damage the image of the State further, after the damage done to the image of the state by the acts of its agency to turn its citizen to an amputee and still failed to heed the call for restitution, till litigation was resorted to, but that opportunity was lost; alternatively, the government could also appeal the judgment, on any good ground.
“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.”
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