The family of Ifeanyichukwu Okereke, a vendor who died after being shot by a security aide to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has demanded a N500 million compensation.
The demand was communicated to Gbajabiamila by the family’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, in a letter dated November 23, 2020.
According to the letter, Ozekhome was given the mandate by the father of the deceased, Okorie Okereke; and the younger brother to the deceased, Destiny Okereke.
The letter said: “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.
“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….
“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.”
Okereke was shot dead last week by an operative of the Department of State Service, Abdullahi Hassan, who has since been arrested, as vendors made to, as usual, hail the Speaker, when he was caught up in traffic in the Three Arms Zone.
Gbajabiamila has since visited the family, with promises of scholarship for Okereke’s children, setting up a business for his wife and a Foundation in the name of the deceased.