Why I Asked Gbajabiamila To Pay N500m Compensation To Family Of Deceased Newspaper Vendor – Mike Ozekhome

Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, the lawyer who wrote House Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila to seek 500 million naira compensation on behalf of the family of the deceased newspaper vendor, Ifeanyi Okereke, who was killed by a security aide of the Speaker, has explained to THE WHISTLER the reasons for his action.

Recall that the wife of the deceased, Josephine, had publicly dissociated herself from the letter, saying at a press conference in Abuja, that she was not consulted before the decision was taken.

“I was in my house when, within 10 minutes, my father in-law came from Abia, he went out along with his other son and the next day I heard that my husband’s people are demanding N500 million as compensation.

“I was shocked and asked how will they be doing that and how will the speaker help the children again with such demand. All I want now is that the person that killed my husband to face justice,” she had said on Thursday.

On his part, Ozekhome SAN, who spoke to THE WHISTLER on Friday, said that he was called upon to enforce the constitutional rights of his clients – the family members who had approached him concerning the matter.

He said that the letter he wrote to the Speaker sought for compensation for the deceased vendor’s wife, children and the rest of the family.

He added, however, that any internal problem among the family members should be resolved by them, not him.

His words: “If they have their internal problem, I am a lawyer; that is not for me to solve for them. It’s not something I will even comment on… I’m not a member of their family.

“If a father comes to brief you as a lawyer, the father is there, his son, the younger brother (to the deceased) who was physically present with him was also there when this thing happen and both of them write a letter; they even came with about six newspaper vendors and they signed the letter, that they want me to be the family lawyer.

“These people were not acting for the father and son alone, if you look at my letter on Speaker Gbajabiamila, it was so respectful and I praised him for what he has already done by even going to see the wife…which is very uncommon with public officers.

“I said but the family will want to be taken care of, we mentioned the father the aged parent, we mentioned the wife and the two small children; so the father and son were not even acting for themselves alone, they were even more concerned with the wife and two small children.

“So if they have their own internal problem, that is their own issue. I cannot be party to it,” he said.

Recall that the Speaker had personally visited the deceased’s wife and three-week-old baby at their residence on Sunday, promising to take care of her family.

THE WHISTLER earlier reported that the deceased’s vendor’s father, Okorie Okereke, and his younger brother, Destiny Okereke,had through Ozekhome, written to the Speaker, demanding the said sum as compensation for their loss.