In a country that has been divided by ethnic and religious sentiments in recent weeks, the call by Prof. Okey Ndibe to help a fellow Nigerian, Dauda Handan, shot by US police is a rarity.
Prof. Ndibe, a novelist, political columnist, and essayist is calling on Nigerians and people across the world to donate for the legal and medical fees of Mr. Handan who has been wrongly accused by the US police.
Shortly after setting up a GoFundMe page for Mr. Handan, Prof. Ndibe wrote, ” I’d like to use this medium to appeal for financial assistance to a US-based Nigerian, Dauda Handan, shot by the police in Massachusetts and, in a bizarre twist, charged with trying to assault the officers.
“Handan urgently needs financial help.”
Donations are already pouring in but its way short of the $25,000 mark set to pursue Mr. Handan’s medical and legal fees.
Below is Prof. Okey Ndibe’s summation of the events that happened
On May 22, 2019, a friend of Nigerian immigrant Dauda (David) Handan made an emergency call to the Chicopee police in Massachusetts. The caller was concerned about Handan’s mental state.
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Specifically, he feared that the immigrant was possibly suicidal. In response to the call, two officers arrived at Handan’s apartment. After Handan opened the door, the officers fired at him twice with a stun gun. Then they fired two gunshots at him, causing critical injuries to his right arm and abdomen.
This seems to be a case of rash police action against a mentally distressed target. Even so, prosecutors in Massachusetts have arraigned Handan on two assault charges. They allege that Handan charged at the police with a kitchen knife. Handan vigorously denies that claim. He maintains that at no time did he act in a threatening manner toward the two officers before they shot him while he was inside his apartment.
I’m particularly touched by @OkeyNdibe‘s selfless service to raise funds for Dauda Handan, a Nigerian shot by US police. I call on all Nigerians to donate what they can, this has nothing to do with ethnicity or tribe. God Bless Prof. Okey Ndibe.https://t.co/sVVTHfDhyc
— bisuclef (@bisuclef) July 21, 2019
Those who have known Handan for many years don’t believe it’s in his character to threaten anybody, much less law enforcement officers. He is a peaceful, soft-spoken man.
Handan needs to retain the services of a defense attorney to fight the assault charges—and, possibly, to seek legal redress for injuries inflicted on him. In addition, he has rising medical fees from the continuing treatment for his injuries. He requires several months of expert medical care to recover from physical debilitation. He is financially hamstrung, unable to afford an attorney or to pay the medical costs for injuries he suffered from the gunshots.
On his meager earnings, Handan, who is in his mid-50s, for years has provided for his elderly widowed mother and other impoverished dependents in Nigeria. His serious injuries have rendered him too impaired to work. He has absolutely no source of income now. And he has no relatives in the US he can count on for financial or even emotional help.
I appeal to all people of conscience to rally to Handan’s aid with financial contributions toward his legal defense. He urgently needs financial assistance to fight assault charges. He was a mentally distressed man on whose behalf a friend made a cry for help. It is bizarre that the police, called to help save his life, shot him multiple times instead. And it’s even more bizarre that prosecutors are further victimizing him by filing assault charges against a man shot inside his own apartment!
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
Click on this link, Legal and Medical Fees for Dauda Handan, to donate your widow’s mite.
