The Senate on Thursday summoned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, and the Minister of Health, Ali Pate, over the death of Ms Greatness Olorunfemi.
Ms Olorunfemi died on Tuesday, last week, after she was denied medical attention at the Maitama District Hospital in Abuja.
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The deceased was thrown out of a moving vehicle after she was stabbed by assailants in the growing ugly trend of “one chance robbery” menacing the FCT.
Following this, she was rushed to the hospital by witnesses, where she was denied medical care for lack of a police report.
Recall that the National Assembly had passed the Gunshots Act, which was eventually signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2017.
Following the development, the Senate through a motion sponsored by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (APC Cross River South), mandated his committees on Health and Police to carry out thorough investigation on Olorunfemi’s death and report back in two weeks’ time.
The motion asked the joint committees to summon the Inspector – General of Police, the FCT Minister and his counterpart in the Health Ministry, to appear before it, for explanations on why Olorunfemi bleed to death without being attended to, in violation of the extant law, provided for by Gunshots Act, 2017.
The red chamber also mandated its committees on Health, Police Affairs and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance.
Senator Ekpenyong had 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 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 added that the Senate needs to amend section 13 of the Act for a stiffer penalty against violators of the Act, saying N50,000.00 or five years imprisonment recommended, were nothing 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 , said the time has come to make the Police and health personnel in the country adhere to provisions of the Gunshots Act 2017 .
“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 save Nigerians from such avoidable deaths,” he said.