Family of slain vendor demands N500m compensation from Gbajabiamila, threatens legal action

Following the gruesome murder of a newspaper vendor, Ifeanyichukwu Okereke, by a security aide of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, the family of the victim has demanded for the sum of N500m as compensation.

The Okereke family said it would take legal action against Gbajabiamila if all the demands were not met within seven days.

This was contained in a letter dated November 23, 2020 signed by lawyer to the family, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN).

The letter reads in part, “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.

“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.”

The Department of State Services had last week arrested the operative, who shot Okereke, Abdullahi Hassan.

Also Gbajabiamila had visited the family of the deceased and promised to ensure that they do not suffer.

However, the family demanded more, adding that nothing could bring the dead vendor back to life.

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