The family of late ifeanyichukwu Okereke, the newspaper vendor that was killed by a police officer attached to the speaker of house of representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has asked for a compensation of N500 million from the speaker.
In a letter signed by the family’s lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and dated November 23, 2020, also asked the Speaker to ensure the safety of vendors near the Federal Secretariat in Abuja is guaranteed as they had become afraid to return to the streets since the incident.
Okereke died at the National Hospital Abuja last week after he was hit by a stray bullet during the speaker’s visit to the federal secretariat.
The speaker handed over the operative, Abdullahi Hassan, to the Department of State Services (DSS) last week.
The letter read: “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.”
