Abuja Vendor: Gbajabiamila slammed with N500-million damages

The family of the vendor who died after being shot by a security aide to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has threatened to sue the Speaker if he doesn’t meet their N500 million demand.

The demand is stated in a letter dated November 23, 2020, signed by the lawyer of the family, Mike Ozekhome (SAN).

Ozekhome was hired to write the letter by the father of the deceased, Okorie Okereke; and the younger brother to the deceased, Destiny Okereke.

The late Ifeanyichukwu Okerekes family was aware the   Department of State Services had last week arrested the operative, Abdullahi Hassan, who shot Okereke, and Gbajabiamila had also visited the family of the deceased and promised to ensure that they do not suffer.

The family still demanded more.

“Our clients have instructed us to make from your good self, the following modest demands: That you use your good offices to ensure the immediate prosecution of your security aide (Abdullahi Hassan), who went on a frolic of his own, clearly acted outside the purview of his duty and responsibility by shooting to death an innocent, harmless and armless citizen,” the letter read in part.

“That you adequately compensate the Okereke family with a modest sum of N500m only. This monetary demand can never adequately replace or take the place of their son, husband, brother, and breadwinner’s life. But it will at least mitigate the obvious trauma and hardship the premature demise of their irreplaceable breadwinner has placed on them.”

The family also asked the Speaker to ensure that the safety of vendors is guaranteed as they had become afraid to return to the streets since the tragic incident.

“Take note therefore that it is our clients’ firm instruction that in the event that you fail, refuse and/or neglect to accede to or proffer reasonable compensatory terms to our above modest demands within seven days from the date of this letter, we shall without any further correspondences from us, take appropriate legal steps to enforce our clients’ constitutional rights,” the letter stated.