Contacted over the issue, the state commissioner for Health, Joseph Onojaeme, simply said, "Please I will get back to you, let me find out the current state of the matter."

The family of the two-year-old boy Ivan Omhonria killed by a stray bullet from the guns of operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA) in Delta state has cried out that the anti-drug agency and the state government have abandoned them and their second son who was hit in the eye by a bullet.

Ivan Omhonria, who had just returned from school to his mothers shop was on July 13, 2023, killed by a stray bullet from the gun of an NDLEA operative in Delta while his younger brother, Eromonsele Omhonria, had his eyes badly damaged by a bullet during a raid by the agency in the Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state.

The NDLEA personnel were reportedly chasing drug peddlers and shooting indiscriminately in the process.

Little Ivan was buried in December 2023 while his younger brother, Eromonsele is still battling for life at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) in Asaba.

Lamenting bitterly while speaking with SaharaReporters on Wednesday over what he described as "abandonment and failed promises" by the NDLEA led by Brigadier General (Rtd) Mohammed Buba Marwa and the Delta State government, Ivans father, Fidelis Omhonria, cried out and called on President Bola Tinubu, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State and the chairman of NDLEA to look into their plights as the health of his second son, Eromonsele.

He said the health of his second son was getting worse.

He said, "The deteriorating rate of my son''s health, is getting out of control, the Delta State government and the NDLEA that promised to take all responsibilities for my son''s treatment abroad have reneged and not forthcoming.

Today makes it 8 months and over two weeks the incident happened. I have buried my two-year-old son and the other boy, that the bullet affected his eye is going through severe pain without any good care and attention as promised. The Delta State government earlier said that it would take care of the medical bills and asked me to list what I had spent which I did, yet nothing.

"When the Chairman of NDLEA, Mohammed Buba Marwa, visited us on November 2, 2023, he promised to take responsibility for the medical bills and to fly the child to the United States of America for treatment and pleaded with us that there was no need for a court case and that they will fly the child for treatment, so, we buried the two-year-old boy on December 13, 2023, because the NDLEA has assured us to expedite visa for my injured son, Eromonsele Omhonrias treatment in US.

I was the one who applied for the visa which the state government had written to US embassy that they would take up the responsibilities. My late little son, Ivan was looking forward to his graduation ceremony in school scheduled for the following week when his life was cut short following the negligence and rascality of operatives of the NDLEA.

"Delta State government gave us a copy of the letter but to date, as we talk, we have not heard anything from the state government. I was referred to the commissioner for health, Joseph Onojaeme and I met him, he promised to get back to me but to date, nothing has been done. When the NDLEA chairman visited, he attached a protocol officer to us for the process of taking the child to the US for treatment. We submitted all documents to the NDLEA protocol officer to process, since then, it has been from one story or the other. The NDLEA later asked us to move our visa application from Abuja to Lagos US embassy which we did but yet nothing happened.

"Because of their delay, one of my family members had to assist us in January 2024 to get a visa appointment on February 2, 2024, and only for NDLEA to call us on February 1, 2024, around 8:30 pm that our visa appointment was February 2, 2024 which we let them know that our family member has already gotten the date for us but they said we should go and that they will send a letter across to the embassy.

We went for the interview and the US consulate asked who was funding the trip and we told them that it was NDLEA, they told us that there was no Federal Government, no Delta State Government or NDLEA in their system and so, they denied us the visa and told us to reapply.

"After I left the embassy, I told the NDLEA chairman and he asked us to reapply as we were told and that the expenditure for the trip from Asaba-Abuja during the interview will be paid, which they did. Now, I have reapplied again, spending much because of the dollar rate, the embassy has given us April 2, 2025. My son''s health is deteriorating as a result of the delay for the treatment and others."

Contacted over the issue, the state commissioner for Health, Joseph Onojaeme, simply said, "Please I will get back to you, let me find out the current state of the matter."

He had not got back at the time of filing this report.

SaharaReporters.com is an outstanding, groundbreaking news website that encourages citizen journalists to report ongoing corruption and government malfeasance in Africa. Using photos, text, and video dynamically, the site informs and prompts concerned African citizens and activists globally to act, denouncing officially-sanctioned corruption, the material impoverishment of its citizenry, defilement of the environment, and the callous disregard of the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution.