Assault: Nollywood actress cries out, says Nigerian Army yet to pay her N1.25m compensation
Actress, Ebere Ohakwe, better known as Jewel Infinity, has said she has yet to get her compensation from the Nigerian Army.
After being assaulted by an army officer identified as Sulaiman Olamilekan in February 2017, Ohakwe dragged the army before the court. Last month, a Federal High Court, sitting in Port Harcourt, ordered the Nigerian Army to pay the sum of N1, 250,000 and publish a written apology in at least two national dailies to the actress.
Speaking to Sunday Scoop, the actress said she was yet to get any compensation from the military. She said, “I am yet to speak with my lawyer, but I think he knows what to do and the next step to take. I am happy with the outcome of the case in court.”
Ohakwe said she didn’t intend to take the military to court initially but she was abandoned and different lies were told to the public. She added, “At first, I didn’t want to take them to court though I was suffering serious pains and I couldn’t do anything for seven months due to the injuries I sustained. The military told a lot of lies about me. They gave the public the impression that they were sorry and that they had supported me, but they didn’t do anything. I am not happy fighting the government.”
According to her, when she hired a lawyer, she wasn’t afraid that the soldiers would inflict more pains on her. She said, “I didn’t care about death anymore. During my recovery, I lost everything and the desire to act again. I had to sell my car because things went bad. Also, my mother fell sick and I couldn’t take care of her. The incident happened in January 2017 and I lost my mother in December of that same year. I am not saying the military killed her, but I wasn’t able to take care of her because I became broke.”
While admitting that she was taken to a private hospital by the army after being battered, the actress said they told her never to disclose the issue to anyone. She added, “But they didn’t know I had already told a blogger friend. The army officer used an iron rod on me; he said I was gossiping about him.
“Though my bones were not affected, I sustained serious injuries. A part of my leg was lifeless for a long time and I was told I had internal bleeding. I couldn’t fight back as he was with a gun. I was screaming and people were begging on my behalf, but they didn’t listen. They even threatened people that wanted to help with guns. Punch
