ASABA – Nearly two years after the tragic incident that claimed the life of young Ivan Omorhiakogbe, his younger brother, Eromonsele Omorhiakogbe, who was also a victim of the same incident, is still battling a critical eye condition after being struck by shattered glasses from a stray bullet from operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).
The ill-fated raid, which targeted suspected drug peddlers in Okpanam, a suburb of Asaba, left the Omorhiakogbe family devastated.
While Ivan died, Eromonsele was severely injured and has since lived with impaired vision.
Now, the family has leveled serious allegations against the Delta State Government, accusing it of allegedly pulling out a staggering ₦60 million under the pretext of assisting with Eromonsele’s treatment, without a single kobo ever reaching the child or his family.
In an exclusive conversation with The Story, Eromonsele’s mother, Hilda Omoriah, expressed deep frustration and emotional fatigue over what she described as a betrayal by the same government that had promised to help.
“They used our son’s condition to access funds. They told my husband to submit a proposal detailing the costs already incurred and what was needed for further treatment.
“He did. They collected every document, every receipt, and next we heard, they had gotten money. But till date, we’ve seen nothing,” she lamented.
The promise, made jointly by representatives of the Delta State Government and the NDLEA, was to fly Eromonsele, abroad for urgent eye surgery.
According to the family, this was later watered down when they were directed to a private hospital in Abuja, where doctors reportedly recommended that Eromonsele be referred overseas due to the complexity of the surgery.
“Instead of acting on the referral, NDLEA officials told the hospital to just write a report. They didn’t want a referral; they just wanted paperwork. Meanwhile, time was slipping and our son’s condition worsening,” Eromonsele’s mother stated, her voice cracking.
The family revealed that the total cost of Eromonsele’s treatment, captured in the proposal submitted to government, through the ministry of Health, under the supervision of Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, was approximately ₦90 million, out of which they had already spent about ₦10 million from their own pockets, without any external support.
They claim that despite the government allegedly approving ₦60 million, no funds were disbursed to them directly or indirectly.
When asked if they had approached the Ministry of Health in Delta State, Eromonsele’s mother said, “We went. We asked questions. No one gave answers. They told us, ‘that’s how it is’. They directed us to the State Ministry of Health, where again, nothing happened. We were just being tossed around.”
She further accused the government of using the incident to secure political sympathy and public goodwill at the time, only to abandon the family when attention faded.
“But now, the same system has gone quiet. Helpers that wanted to come were discouraged. They made promises, collected documents, but never followed through.
“They have not done anything, we are just taking care of him (Eromossele), as much as we can”.
On the present State of the eye, she said “I don’t even know what to say about that one. We have been doing the one we can by ourselves”.
Asked whether they have made any effort to reach out to the State government and the NDLEA, she said: “Yes, we have. They are just being reluctant about the whole thing.
“They actually told us that they have a hospital that can attend to it here in Nigeria, that we should come and we went there. The doctor there told them that they can’t do it that they can only refer the child out of the country.
“They said no that they shouldn’t refer the child, they should just write a report for us that the report is okay, which they did.
“They were trying to manipulate them to say they can do it but they refused. They said they can’t do it that they should refer us out but they said no they should refer us out that they should just write a report for us.
“We have even gone to the Senate. The Delta State government, they didn’t do anything, they only used my son to pull out money from the government.
“They only asked my husband to bring proposal of what he had spent and what he intend spending, he brought. He brought it, they use all the receipts and everything, they said governor approved money. That we should go and meet the Commissioner for Health.
“In fact, they have been dodging us, nobody want to talk. People will go to the government, they will come back, at the end of the day, government is just … They end up blocking helpers from coming our ways meanwhile, they didn’t help, they just refused to help.
“Delta state government did not do anything, they only collected proposal of what my husband has spent and what he intend spending for the treatment but they didn’t sent any money.
“In short, at FMC, we paid even to autopsy, to mortuary everything, we paid ourselves. The Commissioner for Health, said he will get back to us, he has been dodging our calls”.
Asked how much the husband has spent since the ugly development and what was in the proposal, she said: “in the proposal about N90 million was in the proposal. Before the N90 million, he had spent almost N10 million.
“We heard they approved N60 million but we did not see any money”, he added.
This development raises serious ethical and accountability questions about how public funds meant for humanitarian interventions are being managed, or possibly misappropriated under the guise of benevolence.
But in a swift reaction, the Secretary to Delta State government (SSG), Kingsley Emu, said he was not aware of the N60m promise, let alone being pulled out of government purse.
“What is the money for, what is the evidence that the money had been pulled out. The issue has been Visa. Do they have a Visa now. The issue have been Visa. Visa is a privilege.
“The State government wrote, and NDLEA is trying to help them. So, I’m almost certain that between the State government and the Agency, medical bills will be picked but not to handover money to them by hand because it is not a compensation”.
As of press time, attempts to reach Mr. Fidelis, the husband, for comment on the development were unsuccessful, as calls to his phone went unanswered.
However, The Story will continue to track this case and press for transparency in the use of state resources earmarked for medical emergencies.
As young Eromonsele continues to battle with his worsening condition, the question remains: where is the money, and who is truly fighting for the child?
