Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, on Monday, visited the family of two-year-old Ivan Omorhiakogbe, who was killed by stray bullets from operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in the Okpanam area of the State capital on Thursday, 13th July.
Oborevwori visited the family at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba, where the younger sibling, Eromonsele, a one-year-old, is receiving treatment for bullet injuries sustained in his left eye.
He expressed condolences to the family on the unfortunate demise of Ivan and promised that all efforts would be made to bring the culprits to justice.
The Governor stated that the Police were already investigating the matter and would make their findings known to the general public at the conclusion of the inquiry.
Oborevwori said: “Upon hearing the unfortunate news, we immediately issued a statement urging the NDLEA authorities and the Police Command to swiftly investigate the circumstances that led to the death of your son and injury to his younger sibling.
“On behalf of the Government and people of Delta State, we extend our heartfelt sympathies to you and your family over the loss of your son, Ivan.
“We have great confidence in the police, and as you know, they are conducting their investigation. They will not make the outcome public until they have completed their investigations. So rest assured that the culprits will be held accountable.
“Once again, I commiserate with your family for this loss, and I am happy that Eromonsele is recovering,” he said.
He commended the medical personnel at the hospital for their proactive treatment of the younger sibling, assuring that the State Government would cover all the medical expenses related to the incident.
“Let me also express appreciation to the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba for the proactive action they have taken so far since the incident occurred.
“I had sent people here earlier to find out what they are doing, and I am pleased that they were able to save Eromonsele’s life, and I believe he will recover fully.
“The State Government will cover the costs of the hospital treatment, so the family should not worry about expenses,” Governor Oborevwori directed.
Also speaking, the State Commissioner of Police, CP Wale Abass, assured the Governor and the family of the Command’s commitment to ensuring a thorough investigation into the matter.
“Your Excellency, we will do our best to unravel the mystery behind the whole incident. We have contacted the NDLEA, and they have responded. In due course, we will release a report to the public.
“Once again, we sympathize with you, and we pray that God Almighty will grant you the strength to bear this irreparable loss.
“For Eromonsele, we pray that God will lay His healing hands upon him for a full recovery,” CP Abass said.
In a briefing to the Governor earlier, the Head of the Ophthalmology Department at the hospital, Dr Ernest Ogbedo, stated that they have successfully covered the eye to prevent infections from entering. He added that further surgeries would be conducted on the eye.
“We have performed one surgery, but the child will require additional surgeries because there is an eye injury that the doctors have addressed and covered.
“We conducted an X-ray, and fortunately, there were no bullet fragments present. However, we will conduct further investigations to assess the extent of the injury.
“We have successfully covered the eye to prevent infections and other diseases,” Dr Ogbedo said.