“A POLICE BULLET ENDED MY PROMISING CAREER”, EX-PAPA AJASCO VIDEOGRAPHER RECOUNTS

For Emmanuel Tomori, September 30, 2011, began like an ordinary journey home and ended with a police bullet tearing through his car and shattering his right hand.

Tomori, now 47, said he was returning from work and travelling from Ajao Estate Airport Road towards Egbeda when he encountered a police checkpoint around Akowonjo.

ValidViewNetwork reports that Tomori’s account is not simply about an old injury. It is also about the consequences he says followed the shooting, including the loss of his career and a prolonged attempt to enforce a court judgment.

“I WAS 32”

Recalling the incident, Tomori said: “I was 32 years old when the incident happened. On September 30, 2011, which was the eve of October 1, I left the office very late.”

He said he picked up a friend and continued towards Egbeda. According to Tomori, the officers at the checkpoint had been celebrating Independence Day and, from what he later understood, some had been drinking.

ADVERTISEMENT

That claim is Tomori’s account and is not presented as an independently established fact.

THE BULLET

Tomori said the incident escalated at the checkpoint. A police bullet went through the boot of his vehicle and struck his right hand.

The injury, according to his account, badly damaged the hand and ended his work in motion graphics and visual effects. He had been building a career around television and Nollywood productions, including work connected with Papa Ajasco.

THE COURT CASE

Tomori later pursued legal action.

A Federal High Court judgment reportedly ordered compensation in his favour. More than a decade later, he says the judgment has not been fully complied with.

A separate recent account of his case also reported that the court judgment remained unenforced.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the central issue now is not only what happened at the 2011 checkpoint but whether a court order made after the incident has been honoured.

“JUSTICE IS NOT REVENGE”

Tomori has said he is not seeking revenge. He wants the police institution to comply with the court order. He also wants Nigerians to understand their rights when dealing with law-enforcement officers. The case raises broader questions about police accountability, compensation for victims of unlawful force and enforcement of judgments against state institutions.