By Section 1 of the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017, all hospitals in Nigeria shall accept and treat without a police clearance any person with a gunshot wound.
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Section 2 further mandates all security agencies to render the necessary assistance to gunshot victims and ensure that they are taken promptly to a hospital for treatment.
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Furthermore, in the said Section, the law provides that all victims with gunshot wounds shall be treated without a request for initial monetary deposits and such persons shall not be victims of any inhuman or degrading treatment.
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A hospital that receives any person with a gunshot wound is also enjoined to make a report to the nearest police station within 2 hours of treatment, failure to do this attracts a fine of N100,000 and every doctor concerned with the treatment, is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or 6 months imprisonment or both.
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Any person, police officer or security agent who stands by and fails to give the necessary help to a victim of gunshot wound, which leads to the unnecessary death of the Victim, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or 5 years imprisonment or both.
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Also any person who commits an offence which causes susbstantial damage of whatever form to the victim, is liable on conviction to 15 years imprisonment without the option of fine.
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In addition to all these penalties, the court can also order that a person or corporate body in default, pays to the victim, an amount equivalent to the loss sustained by the victim. This is known as restitution.
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Please share across all platforms so security agents and medical practitioners are informed of this law, in order to ensure the preservation of the lives of victims with gunshot wounds.
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