A Sokoto-born businessman who was shot by the State Security Service (SSS) agents in 2016 has finally received justice six years after the agency refused to comply with a court judgement delivered in his favour.
In the wee hours of 2 April 2016, some SSS operatives invaded the residence of the businessman in Jos, Plateau State, and shot him in the thigh after mistaking him for a suspect. That incident marked the genesis of his suffering until last Friday when the SSS compensated him with N10 million, as ruled by the court six years earlier. In addition, the Director-General of the SSS, Adeola Ajayi, added another N10 million to help the victim recoup his loss.
The businessman who spoke with our reporter on Sunday wished not to be named for fear of “some hoodlums” tracing him home to rob him.
02 April 2016
It was around 4:30 a.m. when the armed SSS agents arrived, the businessman recalled.
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The secret police operatives were trailing a suspected gunrunner who bears the same name as the businessman. But instead of going to the suspect’s residence, they broke into the businessman’s rented apartment.
“They banged on the doors of my neighbours asking who bears my name,” the businessman said. “My neighbours directed them to my door, and when they broke into my house, they asked me what my name was.”
The businessman’s last name matches the suspect’s. When he told them his complete name, the operatives disagreed. They thought he was telling lies, and they shot him in the thigh.
The officers later took him to the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), where they abandoned him. That same day, they arrested the real suspect and took him to Abuja.
At JUTH, the businessman was left to suffer after the doctors at the facility went on strike. He was later taken to a military hospital in Jos before he relocated from the town.
From that night the operatives shot him, life has not been the same for the businessman. He lost his capital and fertiliser business. He became indebted to many people. He was ejected from his rented apartment and afterwards moved to Sokoto State with his family. In Sokoto, he lost two children who died of “malaria and typhoid.”
“One of my daughters who was just a year old died the year we relocated to Sokoto,” the business said, his voice quivering. “ She died of malaria and typhoid in the hospital we took her to.”
While the first daughter died in November 2019, the second, who was about six years old, died of a similar illness in October 2020.
The businessman recalled how family members helped when he couldn’t provide for his immediate family again.
“They were taking care of me, my wife and children,” he said of the family members, praying that God would reward them.
When the incident happened, the business said it had more than N5 million in capital. But he spent all the money treating his wounds and other health challenges such as high blood pressure and ulcers.
“I had to take additional loans amounting to N8.7 million,” he said, adding that the money was used to care for his family and his treatment.
He explained that a large part of the money the SSS paid him has been used to offset the loans he took. He’s now trying to rebuild his business with the remaining funds.
The businessman, who still endures a fractured limb, is also planning to relocate his family back to Jos.
Denial of justice
Soon after he was shot, the businessman, through his lawyer, Akibu Idris, instituted a lawsuit against the SSS and its former DG, Lawal Daura.
The lawsuit, marked as FHC/CS/18/2016, stalled for almost three years until 02 February 2018 when the Federal High Court in Bauchi ruled that the businessman be compensated with N10 million for breach of his rights as guaranteed by sections 33 and 34 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended.
However, on 23 February 2018, the SSS filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Jos, challenging the businessman’s lawsuit.
The businessman’s lawyer, Mr Idris, described the appeal as an attempt to evade the judgement debt. A year later, the lawyer filed a motion on notice asking the appeal court to dismiss the appeal.
Mr Idris said the court granted his prayer and dismissed the SSS appeal because the SSS, after filing an appeal, failed to compile and transmit records within the time stipulated by the rules of the court.
Justice at last
After triumphing at the appeal court in 2019, Mr Idris said he wanted to file another lawsuit against the SSS for “recovery of judgement debt.”
“But I later decided to write a letter of appeal through the office of the Attorney-General,” he said. “The SSS then invited us to come forward.”
Following checks, the SSS “voluntarily” complied with the court order, Mr Idris continued, adding that the SSS boss, Mr Ajayi, “generously added an additional N10 million and further directed that my client’s further treatment be conducted at the SSS medical facility.”
An insider with direct knowledge of the matter at the SSS headquarters confirmed this to PREMIUM TIMES.
The insider who was not authorised to speak with the press said apart from the compensation given, “the subject was officially brought to interface with the DSS medical team.” According to him, an assessment by “psychological support” gave a better insight into his medical situation, including his disabilities.
“He was said to be a victim of mistaken identity who was shot around the lower limb to demobilise him and prevent escape during a raid on a terrorist in Jos,” he corroborated the businessman’s words.
According to the insider, the assessment by the SSS medical team shows that the businessman’s wounds were “healed externally, leaving grotesque scars and disabilities mainly in the lower limbs.”
“There is weakness in the limbs, and he walks better when supported, although there was no stick-aid seen with him,” he further shared the medical team’s observation. “He has a foot drop, and the toes of the affected foot do not respond to movement. He looks unkempt and destitute.”
He said the DG’s compensation will go a long way in rehabilitating the victim “while the medical team works on salvaging whatever remains of function in his limbs.”
The businessman is expected to return to the SSS medical facility to continue his treatment. Although he told PREMIUM TIMES he could not fast due to his worsening health condition, he requested to be treated after Ramadan.
“May Allah bless the SSS leader,” the businessman prayed in appreciation of Mr Ajayi’s kindness. “It is my destiny that the accident will happen, but when I remember how I suffered in the previous years, I can only thank Allah and appreciate everyone who stood for me, including my lawyer.”
The businessman narrated how the lawyer helped him financially and otherwise.
Explaining that he offered his legal service pro bono to the businessman, Mr Idris described the SSS gesture as a landmark achievement which will “increase my confidence in the judicial system.
Mr Idris has also written a letter of appreciation to the SSS boss, extolling the agency’s “sense of accountability, compassion and respect for human dignity.”
The lawyer hopes the development will serve as a “valuable precedent for future interactions between law enforcement agencies and the citizenry.” He said such a gesture would enhance public confidence and institutional credibility and contribute positively to the narrative of justice and accountability in Nigeria.
PREMIUM TIMES
