Senate summons IG, Pate, Wike over Abuja’s ‘one chance’ victim’s death

• She was denied medical assistance at the public hospital, citing the lack of a police report, despite the Gunshots Act 2017 stipulations
  

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The Senate has called upon the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the Minister of Health, Ali Pate, and the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, to explain what it perceives as the “preventable demise of Ms. Greatness Olorunfemi at Maitama General Hospital.”

Olorunfemi, a victim of “one chance” vehicle robbery, tragically bled to death after being stabbed and thrown out of a moving vehicle.

Shockingly, she was denied medical assistance at the public hospital, citing the lack of a police report, despite the Gunshots Act 2017 stipulations.

The Senate’s action was prompted by a motion presented by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC Cross River South). Consequently, the Senate has directed its Health and Police committees to conduct a comprehensive investigation into Olorunfemi’s passing, with a report due in two weeks.

Senator Ekpenyong had, while presenting the motion, quoted copiously from the Gunshots Act 2017.

The Act stipulates that, “As from the commencement of this Act, every hospital in Nigeria whether public or private, shall accept or receive for immediate and adequate treatment with or without Police clearance , any person with a gunshot wound.”

He also quoted Section 3 of the Act, which states “No gunshot victim shall be refused immediate and adequate treatment whether or not an initial monetary deposit has been paid.”

He equally suggested that the Senate should amend Section 13 of the Act to provide stiffer penalty for violators of the Act.

The senator said the N50,000 or five years imprisonment recommended were nothing to human lives being wasted.

In his remarks after general debate and adoption of resolutions, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said the time had come to make the Police and health personnel in the country adhere to provisions of the Gunshots Act 2017 .

He said: “The death of Greatness Olorunfemi was avoidable if provisions of the extant law have been adhered to.

“Police and health care providers in the country need to safe Nigerians from such avoidable deaths.”