Police gun-shot victim sends SOS to IG
From Sule Aliyu, Bauchi

A Police gun shot victim and Bauchi, based trader, Alhaji Abubakar Tanko, paralysed since May 27, 2002 , has appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, to look into his plight with human sympathy.
In a Save Our Soul (SOS) letter dispatched to the IG and made available to our correspondent in Bauchi and signed by Malam Bala Ibrahim, a spokesman of the victim’s family, it was stated that the said victim was hit by a bullet released from a police rifle at Kuka village along Yelwa–Ibbi Road in Plateau state as he was traveling to Wukari in Taraba state for a business mission.
It added that the victim after the unfortunate incident, was rushed to Bauchi Specialist Hospital for first hand treatment before he was transferred to the National Orthopadic Hospital, Dala in Kano state from where he was referred to Saudi-German Hospital, Jeddah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for further medical attention at the expense of the poor family and other sympathizers that include the out-going governor of the state, Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Mu’azu in his personal capacity.
The statement further revealed that the victim’s case was promptly reported to the Plateau state command of the Nigeria police who owned-up the fault and agreed to treat the victim but failed, stressing that a police medical team once visited the victim on the directives of the former Inspector-General, Tafa Balogun and promised to take-up the matter for further assistance that is yet to materialize and since then, “the victim is now confined to a wheel-chair at home after his eviction from Saudi-German Hospital for lack of funds to continue with the treatment”, it lamented.
According to the latter, in their efforts for redress for the naked injustice, they reported the case to the Human Rights Commission in Abuja for further intervention which was done and the police directed to pay compensation to the victim as conveyed in a letter with Ref.No. LID/26/2007/VOL.IV. dated January 4, 2004, and “the then Inspector-General, Tafa Balogun indicated an interest to assist but since his exit, nothing was heard again from the police authority,’’ he noted.