The Anambra State government has announced plans to cover the hospital bills of Mr. Okechukwu Akeneme, who was brutally attacked by state agents.

Akeneme, a former chairman of the Onitsha Federated Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and current chairman of the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, sustained serious injuries, including a broken neck and spinal cord, after a confrontation with agents of the Anambra State Waste Management Agency (ASWAMA) over a waste disposal levy.

Initially, the agents dismissed Akeneme’s claims of being ill, accusing him of faking his condition. He was first taken to a hospital in Onitsha, then transferred to the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), which later referred him to Memphis Hospital in Enugu. His condition has worsened, and he has accumulated a hospital bill of around N20 million.

The incident sparked public outrage, with many urging Governor Chukwuma Soludo to take action. At a State Executive Council meeting on Tuesday, the government resolved to cover Akeneme’s medical expenses.

Dr. Law Mefor, the Commissioner for Information, confirmed the decision in a statement. He said the resolution followed a report from a fact-finding team sent by the Soludo administration to visit Akeneme in the hospital.

“The 37th Anambra State Executive Council (ANSEC) Meeting received the report of the fact-finding team sent by the Soludo government to the victim of brutality by some contractors of ASWAMA, Mr. Okechukwu Akaneme, who is hospitalised in Enugu. In response to the report, the Council resolved to pick up the medical expenses of Mr. Okechukwu Akaneme while sympathising with his family and praying for his quick recovery,” Mefor said.