It was justice for Ivan Onose Omhonrina, the two-year-old boy tragically killed by a stray bullet in Delta State, as the Nigerian Senate recommended the payment of N200 million compensation to his family
The incident, which sparked widespread outrage and grief across Delta and beyond, occurred when NDLEA officers stormed a suspected drug hotspot.
The stray bullet allegedly fired by an operative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, during a raid on a drug joint in Okpanam, Oshimili North local government area of Delta state, caused calamity in the family.
The resolution followed a petition presented by Senator Ned Nwoko, the lawmaker representing Delta North Senatorial District, who has consistently championed justice for the family since the tragic incident occurred on July 13, 2023.
Bringing the matter formally to the attention of the Senate, Senator Nwoko, presented a petition on behalf of the bereaved family, and followed it up through all legislative channels until it was taken up by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen.
Following the committee’s investigation and deliberations, the report was submitted to the full Senate. During plenary, on Thursday.
Senators observed a minute of silence in honour of the deceased toddler before adopting the recommendation that the NDLEA pay N200 million as compensation to the family for the loss and trauma suffered.
Recall that in the course of the operation, bullets pierced through a nearby shop belonging to the mother of the children, striking Ivan in the abdomen and injuring his younger brother, Eromonsele, in the eye.
Both were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC, for emergency surgery, but sadly, Ivan died.
The parents have since been calling for justice but did not get it until Senator Nwoko took up the matter and brought it to the Senate’s attention.
