By Oluwatosin Maliki
The Senate has requested the appearance of the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the ministers of Health and FCT Ali Pate and minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike respectively over the gruesome death of one Ms. Greatness Olorunfemi at the Maitama General Hospital last Tuesday.
Recall, Quest Times reported that Greatness Olorunfemi was a victim of ‘one chance’ criminals. She was stabbed and thrown out of the moving vehicle she boarded along the Maitama/Kubwa Highway.
Afterwards, she was quickly rushed to Maitama General Hospital by Good Samaritans but it was alleged that the facility refused her emergency treatment for not providing a police report.
Worried by this incident and the circumstances surrounding the victims death, the Senate through a motion led by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, is instructing its committees on health and police to launch a detailed investigation on Olorunfemi’s death and report back in two weeks time.
The senate also mandated its committees on Health, Police Affairs and Legislative compliance to ensure adherence to the law.
Senator Ekpenyong, while presenting the motion quoted the Gunshots Act 2017 which states thus, “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 equally 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 emphasized that the Senate needs to amend Section 13 of the Act for stiffer penalties against violators, adding that N50,000 or five years imprisonment punishment were nothing compared to human lives being wasted.
In his remarks after general debate on the motion and adoption of resolutions, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, noted that the time has come to make the Police and health personnel in the country to adhere to provisions of the Gunshots Act 2017.
“The death of Greatness Olorunfemi was avoidable if only the provisions of the extant law had been adhered to”.
He said, “Police and health care providers in the country need to save Nigerians from such avoidable deaths”.
The senators are equally demanding that Maitama General Hospital be sued for manslaughter.