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Father Of Two-Year-Old Killed By NDLEA Cries Out To Tinubu, Delta Gov To Save Younger Son

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1 year ago

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Mr Fidelis Omhonria, the father and family members of two-year-old Ivan Omhonria who was killed by a stray bullet fired by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has requested assistance due to the deteriorating condition of their second son’s eye as a result of the incident.
He urged President Bola Tinubu and Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevweri to act urgently to save his son’s sight.
Recall that Ivan, a two-year-old boy, was killed by a stray NDLEA bullet in July 2023 and buried, while his sibling, Eromonsele Omhonria, a one-year-old boy at the time, sustained a bullet injury to his eye.
Mr Omhonria, Ivan and Eromonsele’s father told journalists in Asaba, the Delta State capital, that Eromonsele’s eye is currently deteriorating as a result of a delay in obtaining a US visa for his treatment. He lamented his son’s deteriorating condition.
He stated, “Today marks eight months and 13 days since the incident occurred. I buried my two-year-old son, and the other boy, who is now a year and eight months old, is going through a difficult time due to glass from the bullet in his eye.
“The state government previously stated that it would cover the medical bills and asked me to list what I had spent, which I did.
“When the NDLEA Chairman visited us on November 2, 2023, he promised to cover the medical bills and fly the child to the United States for treatment.
“He said there was no need for a court case and that they would fly the injured child out for treatment; so, we buried Ivan on December 13, 2023, because the NDLEA assured us that it would expedite the visa for my second son, Eromonsele’s treatment in the United States, and we dropped the case.
“I applied for the visa, and the state government notified the US embassy that they would take over the responsibility.
“The state provided us with a copy of the letter, but we have yet to hear back from the state government. I was referred to the Commissioner for Health, and when I met with him, he promised to get back to me, but nothing has been done to date.
“When the chairman of the NDLEA visited us, he brought with him a protocol officer to oversee the process of transporting the child to the United States for treatment.
“We submitted all documents to the NDLEA protocol officer for processing; since then, they have been telling us one story after another.
“The NDLEA later asked us to transfer our visa application from Abuja to the Lagos US embassy, which we did, but nothing happened.
“Because of the delay, one of my family members assisted us in January 2024 in obtaining a visa appointment for February 2, 2024, only for the NDLEA to call us on February 1 around 8:30 p.m. to inform us that our visa appointment was for February 2 in Abuja. We informed them that our family member had secured a date for us, but they advised us to leave and that they would send a letter to the embassy.”
Omhonria explained that on February 2, they attended a visa interview but were denied.
He went on to say, “We went to the interview, and the US consulate asked who was funding the trip, and we told them it was NDLEA; they told us that there was no Federal Government, Delta State Government, or NDLEA in their system, so they denied us the visa and told us to reapply.
“After leaving the embassy, I informed the NDLEA chairman, who asked us to reapply as instructed and that the expenses for the trip from Asaba to Abuja during the interview would be reimbursed, which they did.”
“Now, I have reapplied, spent a lot of money because of the dollar rate, and the embassy has given us April 2, 2024.” My son’s health is deteriorating as a result of the delayed treatment.
“At night, tears and blood will stream from his eyes. I implore President Tinubu, Governor Oborevweri, and the NDLEA to come to our assistance. The situation has become unbearable for us.”
However, the NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa, and the Delta State government, through the Secretary of the State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu, confirmed that they were working on the visa process and expediting travel arrangements to sponsor Eromonsele’s trip to the United States for eye treatment.
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