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Vendor’s widow disowns family over N500m compensation

By Sadiq Omolaoye, Abuja
27 November 2020   |   2:07 am
Widow of Ifeanyi Okereke, the newspaper vendor shot dead last week by security detail attached to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Josephine Okereke, has dissociated herself from the N500 million being demanded from the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila....

Widow of Ifeanyi Okereke, the newspaper vendor shot dead last week by security detail attached to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Josephine Okereke, has dissociated herself from the N500 million being demanded from the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila as compensation for the death of her husband.
 
In the aftermath of the incident, the Speaker had given assurance that the wife and children of the late vendor would be adequately taken care of while his family would get justice.

The family of the late vendor had on Tuesday written to the Speaker through their lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), demanding N500 million as compensation.
 
Ozekhome had in a letter dated November 23, said he was given the mandate to write the Speaker by the father of the deceased, Okorie Okereke, and his younger brother, Destiny Okereke.
 
But speaking at a news conference yesterday in Abuja, widow of the deceased said none of the family members informed or sought her consent before embarking on any action. She claimed she was not aware of the pre-litigation process and urged the Speaker to ignore the family but rather fulfill his promises to her and her two children.
 
While expressing gratitude to the Speaker for all steps taken so far since the unfortunate incident, she acknowledged the fact that nothing could bring her deceased husband back to life.
 
She said: “I got to know about the said N500m demand as compensation on the killing of my husband through the media. Nobody told me before embarking on that. The Speaker visited us and assured us that justice would be done, which is what I am after, not monetary compensation.
 
“The Speaker also made promises to take care of the welfare and well-being of the immediate family of my late husband and to institute a Trust Fund in his name. We are just looking up to him for the fulfillment of his promises and not fighting the man.”

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