No Compensation After 8 Years As Stray Bullet Victim Battles For Life

Innocent Quaye, was only 13 years old when he was hit by a stray bullet at Anoma Wobi, a village between Kasoa and Bawjiase in the Central Region.

The shot was fired by a military man, who was a Forestry Guard engaged by the Forestry Commission.

He’s reported to have fired the shot in an attempt to stop a vehicle conveying logs deemed to have been illegally acquired.

But for the help of a Good Samaritan who found him by the roadside and took him to the hospital, Innocent might not have lived to tell his story today.

He recounted the story to Citi News' Nii Armah Ammah.

“I was riding my bicycle to Papase when I felt something hit me. Just then, I blacked out. When I regained consciousness, I was in Winneba,” he said.

Now 22 years old, Innocent is still yet to fully recover from the incident. According to hospital records from 2012, he was diagnosed with a ruptured bladder, fractured pelvis and retroperitoneal haemorrhage.

He was later reviewed with urinary tract infection and a stitch granuloma. With his deteriorated health, he was forced to discontinue his education after the basic school level and depends on others for survival.

8 years on, his family has not received any form of compensation from either the Ghana Armed Forces or the Forestry Commission.

His single-parent mother, Gladys Gyandor, made a plea on behalf of her son.

“My son has to be compensated to enable him to survive. We have received no feedback since we wrote to the authorities. Since we are poor, no one regards us. I am old and weak, and if I die, who will take care of my son? Who would repay all the debt I have incurred over the years when I'm gone?” she lamented.

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By: Nii Armah Ammah/citinewsroom.com/Ghana