Student shot by trigger-happy soldier to demand N1bn compensation from army

An amputated student, Emmanuel Madubuezi is set to sue the Nigerian Army for N1billion over alleged neglect by the force.

Madubuezi lost his leg after he was hit by a stray bullet fired by a trigger-happy soldier on his way to school on September 14, 2017.

The man was hit while in a commercial tricycle (Keke) going to Port Harcourt Polytechnic.

The bullet pierced through his left leg and hit an elderly woman sitting beside him in the tricycle.

Madubuezi was amputated at the Holy Trinity Hospital, Port Harcourt, on September 25, 2017 after he had been rejected at three different hospitals in the Rivers State capital.

The victim’s lawyer, Mr. Tope Akinyode, said in a statement on Tuesday that since the unfortunate incident, the boy and his family had been through a lot.

READ ALSO: Soldier, Army deserter, others kill undergraduate over N.8m

Akinyode, who is also the National President of Revolutionary Lawyers’ Forum, said: “As they have both instructed, we’ll ask the court to compel the Nigerian Army to pay N1billion compensation. The lawsuit will be filed this week.

“The Nigerian Army did not foot the medical treatment of Madubuezi and didn’t offer him compensation and never sought to assist him in any way despite the excruciating agony and eternal damage they have done on the man.”

When the victim wrote the Nigerian Army to demand N150million compensation, the army authorities vowed not to give him a dime.

In the letter of response to Madubuezi, the army authorities admitted that the victim was indeed shot by its operatives and that the conduct was “highly unprofessional.”

They, however, said the soldiers acted on their own and, therefore, the Force could not bear the liability.

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