Amputee student shot by soldier to sue army for N1bn

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai

A student, Emmanuel Madubuezi, who lost his leg after being shot by a soldier, is set to sue the Nigerian Army for N1 bn.

Madubuezi was hit by a stray bullet while on his way to school on September 14, 2017.

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

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 N1 bn compensation. The law suit will be filed this week."

The victim was in a commercial Tricycle (keke) going to Port Harcourt Polytechnic, when he was hit with a stray bullet on his hand and left leg.

The bullet pierced through his left leg and hit an elderly woman next to him.

The victim, who immediately fainted couldn't be treated in three different hospitals until his leg was later amputated at the Holy Trinity Hospital , Port Harcourt on September 25, 2017.

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, Akinyode said.

When the victim wrote the Nigerian Army to demand N150 m 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”.

The army authorities, however, said the soldiers acted on their own and therefore the organisation could not bear the liability.