The Acting Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has instructed all medical personnel in the country to treat victims of gunshot wounds without demanding for a police report.
The IGP said this was in line with the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act, 2017, which aims to protect the rights of victims and ensure their timely access to medical care.
The IGP’s directive was contained in an internal memo dated October 25, 2023, and signed by the Force Principal Staff Officer, Olatunji Disu
The memo was sent to all senior police officers and the heads of police colleges in Ikeja, Kaduna, Oji-River, Maiduguri and Enugu. The memo stated that the IGP wanted them to comply with and enforce the law without any delay. It also stated that the IGP wanted them to educate the public about the law and the police’s compliance with it.
The IGP’s directive came after Newsflash Nigeria reported a tragic case of a woman, Greatness Olorunfemi, who was killed by a “one-chance” robber on September 26 in Abuja.
The robber stabbed her and threw her out of a moving vehicle. She was taken to the Maitama General Hospital, but they refused to treat her without a police report. She died from bleeding.
A civic group, YALI Network, Abuja, petitioned the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, and the IGP over the incident and demanded for action to prevent such cases in the future.
