Sometimes ago, TQM brought to the public domain the assault meted on Emmanuel Onwubariri, a person with spinal cord injury who was pushed down by rampaging youths.
The matter raised a lot of concerns and Ohaneze Ndi-Igbo PWDs took it up and raised funds within themselves and lawyers among them stood for Emmanuel. The police that refused earlier to effect arrest on those who assaulted him woke up to their responsibility and the perpetrators were made to answer for what they did.
Two demands were made by Emmanuel which were to return his generator set they took forcely from him for a debt owned by his elder brother and secondly for them to take responsibility for the medical bills he incurred after he was pushed down and he had to seek medical care because as a person with spinal cord injury, it would be dangerous for him not to receive medical care after such a huge fall.
It was beautiful the way Igbos with disabilities spoke with one voice and seek justice for Emmanuel. They formed a committee made up of lawyers and they have diligently followed up the case in police and graciously, Emmanuel was excited to communicate TQM on 15th August, 2020 informing us that the last meeting between him and the perpetrators in Police station, they paid him the sum of One hundred thousand naira(N100,000) for his medical expenses but the generator set was nowhere to be found. The IPO handling the case has given them till the end of this month of August to return the generator set.
The Lawyer who followed Emmanuel to police station on this last meeting I.A Anyanwu( a person with albinism) got them to agree that the generator set must be handed over to Emmanuel by the end of the month.
This is justice for Emmanuel and justice for persons with disabilities in Nigeria.
TQM learnt that the perpetrators are not resting on their oasis as there are plans to excommunicate Emmanuel and his family because he pushed for justice which they thought he will not get and he finally got it. So they are using other means to get him and his family punished.
The letter communicating this position from The village will soon be issued to his father. TQM would keep you posted on the development as they unfold.
