The Court of Appeal in Akure, Ondo State, denied the Ondo State Government’s appeal against a High Court judgement awarding ₦30 million in compensation to Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi, a 36-year-old commercial biker. Oluwarotimi was shot in the leg by an Ondo State Security Network Agency (Amotekun) member in Akure in August 2021, and his leg was amputated as a result.
He was supposedly abandoned afterwards. In March 2023, Justice Omolara Adejumo of the Ondo State High Court awarded Oluwarotimi ₦30 million in damages against the Ondo State Government and Amotekun. The court declared the gunshot illegal and emphasised its catastrophic impact on the victim, who is now reliant on crutches.
Despite obtaining formal notification of the judgement, the state administration filed an appeal on April 3, 2023, disputing the decision. However, Oluwarotimi’s counsel, Tope Temokun, filed a preliminary challenge to the appeal’s competency. On November 19, 2024, the Court of Appeal dismissed the state’s appeal as incompetent and awarded ₦250,000 in costs against the Ondo State Government.
Following the decision, Temokun wrote to Ondo Governor-elect Hon. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, encouraging him to follow the court’s verdict. Temokun’s letter highlighted Oluwarotimi’s severe predicament, whose life has been upended by the amputation. He stated that Oluwarotimi’s wife abandoned him, remarried, and his two children were forced to drop out of school owing to financial constraints.
Temokun stated: “It could be claimed that the amount given is exorbitant, but one must ask—how much is a man’s limb worth? Mr. Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi is presently in complete deprivation and depression. We strongly urge His Excellency to intercede and guarantee that the judgement sum is paid so that he can begin to reconstruct his life.” The case has highlighted the importance of holding governmental entities accountable and providing justice to victims of carelessness or abuse.
