By Gbenga Ojikutu
A Nigerian youth group under the auspices of the Patriotic Youth Alliance, has slammed politicians, who planned the unwarranted gunshot attack on a prominent youth leader in Ekiti State, Mr. Joshua Olamide James, during a political rally staged in Ado Ekiti the Ekiti State capital.
The group said the incident ran contrary to the tenets of democracy for anyone to be attacked due to his political leaning and beliefs, saying the victim reserved inalienable right to belong to political party of his choice.
James, a prominent youth leader, was reportedly shot by people suspected to be political thugs on December 16, 2022, and was rushed to the hospital for intensive medicare due to bodily injuries he suffered.
Condemning the attack in a statement issued in Ado Ekiti, the National Coordinator, Patriotic Youth Alliance, Comrade Taiwo Oladele, described the action as demeaning and sacrilegious to democratic norms.
He appealed to the police and other security formations to beef up security around the country as the 2023 general elections approach to avert any uprising that could endanger the growth of democracy in Nigeria.
“Attack on Mr Joshua Olamide James was very condemnable and morally reprehensible. How can someone be attacked for belonging to a political party of his choice? This to me, was a clear case of recklessness and political rascality.
“We call on the police to apprehend the assailants and bring them to justice to serve as deterrent to those with criminal tendencies in this country that there are consequences for anti democratic actions”, the youth leader said.
During the attack, the victim sustained gunshot injuries in his hands and was bleeding profusely, leading to him fainting before being revived by medical experts.
His family had to relocate from their known abode to an undisclosed area in Ekiti State due to the threat of the attackers.
Meanwhile, a medical report released by the Medical Director of Joa Medical Centre in Ado Ekiti, Dr. J. Adaramola, indicated that the victim was brought into his facility on the 16th of December, 2022 bleeding profusely with gunshot injuries on his hands that had been shattered by bullets.
The report revealed that “wide investigation and examination showed that he had suffered blood loss, shock, laceration avulsion injuries to the right arm and proximal fore arm as well as undisplaced fracture of the coronoid process of the right hand bone through gunshot injuries.
“The patient was resuscitated, stabilised and was discharged on the 23rd of December, 2022”, the medical doctor stated.
Mr. James openly said his expectation then was that his affected hand would be amputated and make her become a destitute, but was saved through divine providence and expertise of the medical personnel.
Another police report issued on Mr. James, confirmed that the young man was actually shot and rushed to the said medical facility to get emergency treatment that brought him back to life after few days”.
