A 23 years old lady, Deborah Omoba is critically ill at the Federal Medical Center in Lokoja after she was hit by a bullet from a helicopter gunshot during the recent Kogi Governorship election.
It was reliably gathered that Deborah Omoba was allegedly hit by a bullet from the helicopter which hovered round major towns in Kogi State on the November 16 governorship election with the bullet still lodged in her body.
It will be recalled that no fewer than four people were reportedly killed when the helicopter allegedly released some gunshots and teargas on voters on queue specifically in areas suspected to be a stronghold of the opposition party during the election.
Deborah, it was gathered was sleeping in her residence at the pastorium of the Apostolic Church headquarters, Ajara quarters, Lokoja when the bullet released from the helicopter which hovered round the compound few seconds earlier pieced through her body and lodged at her upper region of her thigh very close to her private part.
Conducting newsmen on Wednesday round the scene of the incident, the pastor in charge of the church, Abraham Olusegun said the victim, a daughter of one the Overseers of the church was observing her siesta on that fateful election day when she suddenly screamed from her sleep.
He said, immediately they rushed into the room, they found the girl writhing in her pool of blood with the upper region of the thigh, very close to the vagina badly battered.
Pastor Olusegun who said the victim was immediately rushed to the Federal Medical Center Lokoja also narrated how the church was viciously attacked during the last general election, a development which he said gripped him and his family members with morbid fear as the police and other security agencies did nothing even when the case was reported to them.
Meanwhile, when our correspondent visited the female surgical ward where the victim was admitted, she was seen lying critically on the bed.
When asked to relate what actually happened to her, she faintly opened her eyes, shrugged effortlessly to utter some inaudible words before the matron in charge of the ward shoved off the reporter.
However, speaking with our correspondent, the head of clinical services in the medical centre, Dr Taiwo Jones said the pellet lodged at a very sensitive part of the victim’s body which makes the extraction of the bullet at the moment very difficult.
He said whenever a bullet was lodged at a very sensitive area of the body that could cause more damage, the best thing to do was to leave it for sometime and allow the body system to react and push the bullet to the surface which will make it easier for it to be removed by surgery.
According to him, the victim is now in a stable condition as all necessary medications and treatment have been carried out on her.
Dr Jones, however, narrated their experience during the election when he said the said helicopter also released some gunshots on the premises of the hospital which made everyone to scamper for safety.
According to him, it was providence that saved staff and patients of the medical center as a live bullet was recovered at the consultant office while another live bullet was recovered at the hospital library.
He specifically said the Corp member attached to the library had to run away from her house because of sporadic gunshots to the hospital, only for her to narrowly escape being hit again by some bullet right in her office when she ran to hibernate.
He said when the management of the medical center reported the incident to the police with the live bullets, it was discovered that the bullets used by the helicopter were more deadly and bigger than that of the Ak47 rifle.
When contacted for his reaction over the incident, the police commissioner, Hakeem Busari feigned ignorance of any helicopter releasing tear gas or gunshots on the election day saying, “how can it happen when we are not in a war situation?”
