An Analysis of Nigeria’s “Compulsory Treatment and care for Victims of Gunshots Act, 2017.”

Abstract

Gunshot victims in Nigeria have for a long time found it very difficult to get prompt medical care in hospitals and healthcare centres all over the country. This is motivated by the practice of demanding for a police report from injured persons before they can be treated by medical personnel; a practice which is occasioned by the application or misapplication of the provisions of the Robbery and Firearms (Special provision) Act Cap R11 LFN, 2004. This has undoubtedly led to hardship to the citizenry and has in a plethora of times resulted in loss of lives under conditions where the deaths could have been averted. Consequently, in December 2017, President Muhammadu Buhari assented to the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017, which makes provisions for the compulsory treatment and care for the victims of gunshots regardless of the reason for which they were shot. This paper analysed this recently passed law and determined the implication for the Nigerian populace and the Nigerian legal system, making comparative analysis with International Legal Frameworks and the provisions in other Jurisdictions and recommends that effective implementation is crucial for the success of the Act by taking a holistic approach, which recognizes key stakeholders, sensitizes healthcare practitioners, hospital authorities, the police and other security agents with a view to changing attitudes forged over the years.