The Court of Appeal in Akure has dismissed an appeal filed by the Ondo State Government challenging a High Court judgment that awarded N30 million in damages to Oluwasegun Oluwarotimi, a victim of an unlawful shooting.
Oluwarotimi’s leg was amputated in 2021 after he was shot by an operative of the Ondo State Security Network, known as the Amotekun Corps.
In March 2023, Justice Omolara Adejumo of the Ondo State High Court ordered the state government and the Amotekun Corps to compensate him with N30 million, condemning the illegal act that left him dependent on crutches for mobility.
The appeal by the Ondo State Government was deemed invalid following a preliminary objection filed by Oluwarotimi’s counsel, Tope Temokun. Delivering the ruling on Tuesday, Justice Oyebisi Folayemi Omoleye held that the appeal notice was incompetent and struck out the case. The court further ordered the state government to pay N250,000 in costs.
Temokun revealed that he had previously urged the state government to comply with the High Court’s judgment, emphasizing that it was unjust to use public funds to fight an appeal against a vulnerable citizen harmed by a state agency.