The Nigerian Senate has recommended a compensation of N200 million for the family of a two-year-old boy, Ivan Onosereba Omhonria, who was tragically killed by a stray bullet during a National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operation in Delta State.
The incident occurred on 13 July 2023, during a raid on a suspected drug den in Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area. Ivan was fatally struck in the abdomen, while his younger brother, Eromonsele, sustained an eye injury from the same bullet, as they were both at their mother’s shop at the time.
In response, Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North, submitted a petition on behalf of the bereaved family. The matter was subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen.
Presenting the committee’s findings during plenary on Thursday, Senator Imasuen stated that all stakeholders involved were duly invited for questioning. He disclosed that the NDLEA admitted to lacking the financial means to fund Eromonsele’s medical treatment overseas.
The committee, therefore, recommended that the NDLEA should bear full financial responsibility for Eromonsele’s eye treatment abroad, and that the Federal Government, through presidential approval, should compensate the family with the sum of N200 million.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio condemned the incident and, after putting the recommendations to a voice vote, announced that they had been unanimously adopted by the chamber.
