The
45-year-old commercial driver, Saturday Akpomose, who was attacked by
seven dogs at Ajah area of Lagos State, has received N30,000 and a job
offer from the owner of the dogs.
However,
his family members expressed anger when they heard that Akpomose
collected money from the dogs’ owner, who is a soldier.
According to Vanguard Newspaper:
Vanguard learned
that the victim, who was admitted at Akodo General Hospital after the
attack, was discharged on Friday, May 1, after about eleven days.
It
was gathered that before the victim was discharged from the hospital,
he demanded N5 million compensation from the soldier, but was persuaded
and later given N30,000 to take care of himself, while a bag of rice and
beverages were also given to his wife.
When Vanguard visited
Akpomose in his residence, he said the money given to him was not a
pay-off, as the man had promised to further take good care of him and
his family.
He
said: “I believe you saw all the injuries on my body. They have not
healed completely. I collected the money from him because I am not a
troublesome person. I have left everything to God.
‘How I defended myself’
“When
the dogs attacked me, I tried to protect my neck, my private parts and
my stomach, because I knew if the dogs touch any part of these places, I
am gone.
“That
was one of the reasons I decided to settle out of court with the owner
of the dogs. If I had died my family member would have collected the
money and enjoyed it.
“However,
I cannot work with him. All I want him to do for me is to assist me in
my hotel business. How can I start waiting for salary at this stage,
when I have grown up children who are in the university to cater for?”
When Vanguard visited
the house where the dogs are domiciled, the Chief Security Officer
working in the building, who identified himself simply as Victor, said
the matter had been settled out of court.
He
said: “After we footed his medical bill, he was demanding N5 million
from my boss to set up a business and feed his children, claiming that
he cannot work now due to the injuries all over his body.
Family’s ritual claim
‘’But
to our surprise, after the incident, Akpomose’s family members came to
our house and started accusing us of using him for ritual. They claimed
that after the incident, we slaughtered four cows and rams to appease
the gods in the house.
“We
have told his family members, who are threatening us with law suit,
that after settling with the victim, they should go ahead with whatever
they want to do because we have done our best.
“My boss gave him a bag of rice and some beverages to take care of the children.”
It
would be recalled that in the early hours of Tuesday, April 22, seven
dogs, allegedly owned by a captain serving in the US marine, were
reportedly being taken out of the compound to ease themselves when they
attacked Akpomose.
It took the intervention of residents and passers-by to rescue him from the dogs.
The
incident was later reported at Ogombo Police Division, which referred
Akpomose to the General Hospital at Akodo, Ibeju Lekki Local Government
Area due to the severity of the injuries he sustained.
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