How SARS Stray Bullet Shattered My Leg, Hairstylist Tells Lagos Panel

Cat:

Related stories

Tinubu Mourns Legendary ‘Gwo Gwo Ngwo’ Crooner Mike Ejeagha

By Abiola Olawale President Bola Tinubu has expressed deep sorrow...

Nigeria Already Sliding into Dictatorship, Ozekhome Warns

By Abiola Olawale Renowned constitutional lawyer and human rights advocate,...

Name National Assembly Members Behind Benue Killings, PDP Challenges Alia

By Kolawole Ojebisi The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has challenged...

Benue Attacks: Big Names, Politicians Indicted By Judicial Panel Reports —Alia

By Kolawole Ojebisi Benue State Governor, Hyacinth Alia, has alleged...

Ozekhome Decries Judges’ Poor Remunerations, Bad State Of Nigerian Courts

By Kolawole Ojebisi A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and...

A 35-year-old hairstylist, Mrs Hannah Olugbodi, has narrated before the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing the activities of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), how her left leg was allegedly shattered by a SARS stray bullet.

While being led in evidence by her counsel, Mr Hakeem Fadun, she told the panel that her left leg was hit by the stray bullet on June 6, 2018, at a market near her home in Ijesha, Lagos.

She said that the stray bullet was from some SARS officers attempting to arrest a suspected internet fraudster allegedly resisting arrest at the nearby Oguncity Hotel.

She said that due to the alleged resistance, members of the disbanded police unit fired weapons at the hotel which was close to the market.

The mother of two said that at 8.00 p.m., she had come back from work and gone to the market to buy some foodstuffs.

“My house is close to Ijesha Market, I was hit where I stood, by a stray bullet. In the commotion, some market people asked where I lived and my husband’s name. I told them and they went to get him; then I fainted,” she testified.

The witness said that when she opened her eyes, she was in a car being rushed by her husband, Oluwaseun, and some family members to the Lagos  University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

She said that there was no bed space at LUTH and she was treated inside a bus. She told the panel that she was later taken into a ward.

“The doctor asked if I had money. He said the chances of saving my leg was 50 per cent. He said if my husband had money, it could be managed but if not, it would be amputated and that he would need to perform four surgeries.

“The first surgery involved the use of an iron on the leg. The bullet affected my bone, the doctor said the second surgery would involve cutting off my bone because the bone did not survive.

“The leg did not heal because we did not have money and my doctor, Dr Alabi, said we needed a skin graft.

“After getting money, we did the third surgery and they cut my thigh open; since then I have not been able to work,” she said.

The alleged victim said that since the incident, life had been difficult for her and her family, adding that she had been rendered jobless.

“Sometimes, the leg will be paining me and I will be crying. The doctor said the after two years, I should come back for plastic surgery.

“For two years, I have been unable to work. We wrote to the Lagos State Government and the Ministry of Justice but got no response,” she said.

She said that her husband made some enquiries about the SARS officers from the divisional police officer in Ijesha, who informed him that the SARS officers came from Gbagada.

While being cross-examined by police counsel, Mr Joseph Eboseremem, she insisted that though she did not have a ballistics report, the stray bullet that hit her was from SARS.

Her husband, Oluwaseun, a taxi driver, who was also cross-examined by Eboseremem, was told by the police counsel that contrary to the claims of his wife, there was no SARS Unit at Gbagada, Lagos.

“Do you have anything to show this panel that there was a shooting? I put it to you that you came to this panel to speculate,” the police counsel said.

Responding, Oluwaseun said, ” I know them, they are SARS, they usually come regularly to our area. They were the ones who were shooting.”

NAN

'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide's journalism works intersect business, environment, politics and developmental issues. Among a number of local and international publications, his work has appeared in the New York Times. He's a winner of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Award. Currently, the Online Editor at The New Diplomat, Akintomide has produced reports that uniquely spoke to Nigeria's experience on Climate Change issues. When Akintomide is not writing, volunteering or working on a media project, you can find him seeing beautiful sites like the sandy beaches that bedecked the Lagos coastline.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

[tds_leads input_placeholder="Your email address" btn_horiz_align="content-horiz-center" pp_msg="SSd2ZSUyMHJlYWQlMjBhbmQlMjBhY2NlcHQlMjB0aGUlMjAlM0NhJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMiUyMyUyMiUzRVByaXZhY3klMjBQb2xpY3klM0MlMkZhJTNFLg==" pp_checkbox="yes" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXRvcCI6IjMwIiwibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6IjQwIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMTUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBvcnRyYWl0X21heF93aWR0aCI6MTAxOCwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWluX3dpZHRoIjo3NjgsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMjAiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMzAiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sImxhbmRzY2FwZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjExNDAsImxhbmRzY2FwZV9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjEwMTksInBob25lIjp7Im1hcmdpbi10b3AiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9" display="column" gap="eyJhbGwiOiIyMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" f_msg_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_input_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_btn_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_family="downtown-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_weight="700" f_btn_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_transform="uppercase" btn_text="Unlock All" btn_bg="#000000" btn_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxOCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxNCJ9" input_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjEyIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMCJ9" pp_check_color_a="#000000" f_pp_font_weight="600" pp_check_square="#000000" msg_composer="" pp_check_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.56)" msg_succ_radius="0" msg_err_radius="0" input_border="1" f_unsub_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_msg_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_weight="500" f_msg_font_weight="500" f_unsub_font_weight="500"]

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Tinubu Mourns Legendary ‘Gwo Gwo Ngwo’ Crooner Mike EjeaghaNigeria Already Sliding into Dictatorship, Ozekhome WarnsName National Assembly Members Behind Benue Killings, PDP Challenges AliaBenue Attacks: Big Names, Politicians Indicted By Judicial Panel Reports ---AliaOzekhome Decries Judges' Poor Remunerations, Bad State Of Nigerian CourtsLeadership Lessons From AfDB's Akinwumi AdesinaTrump asks aides if they think Musk’s behavior could be related to alleged drug use, source saysVisualizing Trump’s 2026 Budget ProposalUmo Eno: Professing Love For Tinubu Without Joining APC, 'Anti-party'King Charles Recognizes Beckham's Impact, Knights Ex-England's CaptainTinubu Mourns Uwais, Says Ex-CJN 'A Phenomenal Jurist'U.S. Remittance Tax Casts Shadow Over African EconomiesAkwa-Ibom Commissioner Defies Gov Umo Eno, Resigns, Says I Can't Join Gov In APCTrump Vs Musk: JD Vance Declares Support For US President Amid Online RowExclusive: Inside Details Of Sanwo-Olu’s Alleged Strained Ties With Tinubu
X whatsapp