From Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
The Ondo State High Court in Akure has ordered the state government and the State Security Network Agency, also known as Operation Amotekun to pay the sum of N3 million to one Olusegun Oluwarotimi, a 36-year-old commercial motorcyclist, who was shot illegally by men of the Amotekun corps.
Justice O.M Adejumo, who delivered the judgment, yesterday, said the illegal use of weapons constituted a violation of the right to dignity of the plaintiff.
The judge added that the shooting, which led to the amputation of the plaintiff’s leg, was a flagrant violation of dignity of the victim, saying it was a sheer victimisation and dehumanisation. She added that the cost awarded to the defendants should be paid by the two respondents for exemplary and general damages to the applicant, in order to cater for his physical and emotional injuries. She said the officers of the corps acted on flagrant abuse of power.
She said: “The illegal shooting at Araromi Street on August 9, 2021, in Akure, by the Amotekun corps was a violation of the applicant’s human right. The court, hereby, orders the respondents to jointly pay the sum of N20 million to the applicant as general damages and N10 million as exemplary damages,” she ruled.
The justice, however, rejected the prayer of the applicant’s counsel, Mr Tope Temokun, asking the court to order the respondent to tender a letter of apology to the applicant in a notable national newspaper.
Speaking with newsmen after the ruling, Temokun said the applicant was helpless and hopeless after several efforts to seek redress. He said he was happy that the judgement favoured his client, describing the verdict as an encouragement and inspiration to fight more for the downtrodden and the helpless in the society.
He said the Amotekun Corps was created for the benefit of the society at large and that the citizens must be its watchdog, to ensure the establishment does not derail from its objective.