- As Falana visits victim of Police Teargas at LASUTH
Quoting police statement, Falana said the police teargased the protesters because they sang songs that they found insulting to the person of the governor.
By Emmanuel Ukudolo
LAGOS – A DISTRAUGHT mother is facing a grueling skin graft surgery after police teargas reportedly “pierced” through her leg during a protest in Lagos.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana, SAN, made an emergency visit to the Burns and Plastic Surgery Department at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) on Monday to check on the victim, Mrs. Kafayat Muftaudeen.
The victim was caught up in last Wednesday’s chaotic protests against the “illegal” demolition and forced evictions of the Makoko community. Shockingly, it is suspected that the teargas used by officers may have been expired, causing severe chemical burns rather than temporary irritation.
Falana described the attack by police who monitored the protest from under bridge Ikeja to Alausa as unwanted in a democratic dispensation.
Quoting police statement, he said the police teargased the protesters because they sang songs that they found insulting to the person of the governor.
He described the development as unfortunate since nobody can be brutalized or sued for vulgar abuse under Nigerian law and that criticism is indispensable under democracy.
During the high-profile visit, lead burns nurse Mr. Adedeji Hassan briefed the Senior Advocate on Mrs.Muftaudeen’s harrowing road to recovery.
“We take skin from here to cover the defects,” Nurse Hassan explained, describing the complex skin grafting procedure the victim must undergo.
“When the wound is fully ready, she will come back. We take skin from the other side to cover the defect.”
Despite the severity of the injury, the medical team has opted to allow Mrs. Muftaudeen to recuperate at home to boost her mental wellbeing before the surgery.
When a concerned Mr. Falana questioned if financial hurdles were delaying her care, Nurse Hassan was quick to reassure him.
”It’s not about money,” the nurse insisted. “Some things are very compassionate. There are some situations whereby the patient needs to be at home so that she can recuperate. She’ll be fine.”
The hospital has arranged for a local medic to visit Mrs. Muftaudeen at home for daily dressings, while she will return to the LASUTH clinic every Thursday for specialist monitoring.
Victims Left Scarred
Mrs. Muftaudeen wasn’t the only one left reeling. Another victim, identified as Mr. Ajayi, has also been discharged but requires ongoing treatment for injuries sustained during the police action.
While the hospital claims the environment of home will help the victims “do well,” the scars of the Makoko evictions—both physical and mental—remain a flashpoint for human rights campaigners.
