The Police in Bayelsa State have reportedly abandoned a father of five in the hospital after its personnel allegedly knocked him down with their patrol van which reportedly drove against traffic.
According to reports, Mr. Shadrack Ogbonna, a mobile phone repairer, was knocked down on 6th May 2019 by the police van while he attempted to cross the road to buy some phone accessories for his customers.
The police were said to have taken him to the Federal Medical Centre [FMC] in Yenagoa, the state capital, where he had been abandoned to die.
Ogbonna, who hails from Okposi in Ebonyi State, is said to be bedridden at the FMC.
The accident, which occurred close to Ekeki Motor Park, Yenagoa, was said to have rendered his family homeless and hungry as he was no longer able to pay their rent and provide food for them.
The policemen in the van were said to have rushed their victim to the emergency unit of the hospital where doctors confirmed that he suffered serious brain damage and required N5m to have a second chance in life.
Doctors further said that the accident severely fractured his skull and damaged the victimโs left leg and arm.
The victimโs wife, Mrs. Asu Ogbonna, said following her protest the state police command initially agreed to offset her husbandโs medical bills.
She said the command later abandoned the victim when the police authorities heard thatN5million was required to fly him abroad for brain surgery.
She said the police claimed that they were no longer responsible since the policemen that knocked him down were executing a state-sponsored assignment.
โThat morning, I left him in the house to Swali market where I trade. Before I left we talked about plans to raise money for our rent that was to expire in June. So I was in the market when I got a call that my husband was involved in car accident,” The Nation quoted her as saying.
โWhen I got to the hospital I found my husband in a bad condition. I thought he was dead. I was told that he was hit by a police van driving against traffic. The police promised to take care of his medical bills but they later said they would not give us a dime because it was the state government that sent them on an errand when the incident occurred.
โSince then they abandoned me and my husband at the hospital. According to the doctors, my husbandโs brain is so damaged that he needs to be flown abroad for surgery and that would cost us N5million. Where do I raise that kind of money? As I speak with you, I now sleep under a staircase in the hospital with my five children because our landlord drove us out when we could not pay rent.
โAll along, it is only my brother that supported me with money to buy drugs to keep my husband alive until we are able to raise money for the surgery. As we speak, my brother has also ran out of cash. It is not easy for me and my children. Paying for the life support machine and buying his drugs daily requires lots of money.
โWho do I turn to? What do I do with my life? I have prayed fervently for Godโs intervention but it appears my prayer does not get to heaven because our condition gets worse by the day.
โI donโt even have money to feed myself and my children, talk more of paying bills at the hospital. I have gone to the police several times to plead with them but they have continued to turn me down, saying I should take the matter to court.
โWhere would I have money to pay lawyers, even if the only way out of my problems is to go to court? Our bill at the hospital right now is about a million naira, and we are expected to raise another N5million for surgery. Meanwhile, the hospital management is on our neck to either pay or move my husband away. I am confused.โ
Also the brother-in-law of the victim, Mr. Joseph Ngene said described his in-lawโs condition as pathetic and called on the Inspector-General of Police, the Bayelsa State Government and the Ebonyi State Governor to intervene and save his in-law.
He said:
โMy sisterโs husband condition is pathetic. He was going about his business when a police van driving against traffic knocked him down. If it were a vehicle owned by a private individual, I am sure the police would have done a good job to apprehend the person.
โBut in this case, policemen are involved and they have refused to take responsibilities. According to the doctors, Ogbonna broke left leg, left arm and that his skull was fractured during the accident.
โWhen we contacted the police, they said the driver of the van, Mr. Ifeanyi Ikechukwu, was running errand for the state government when the accident occurred, and that for that reason we should rather approach the state government for support.
โInitially they were concerned because they came to the hospital once or twice to pay for drugs doctors prescribed but after that they stopped visiting. I then called the leader of the team that was in the van when it knocked Ogbonna down, one Oscer Jaja, he yelled at me saying I have no right to contact him. He said if we think they are wrong we should go to court that he is ready. We have written a petition to the Commissioner of Police, and copy of that petition is before him.
โI have made efforts to meet with him and he said the police could not help us. And because we could not buy drugs that would help keep him strong until we get money to fly him abroad for the surgery, my brother condition is getting worse by the day. To feed him, doctors have to pass food through a pipe to feed him. He has not been able to move any part his body since they brought him to the hospital.
โAs it is now, it is clear that my brother would never live a normal life again, yet the police are asking us to go to court because they know that we donโt have the power and finance to challenge them on the matter. I want to plead with well-meaning Bayelsans and Nigerians to come to our aide.โ
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa State Command, Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident but said the police were doing their bit to assist the victim.
The Nation
