A victim of the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election shooting said doctors at 37 Military Hospital told him he could lose his leg as the way to save his life.

Ishau Yaro, 37, was shot at close range by some masked men suspected to be National Security officers and his right leg is badly damaged.

Joy News’ Joseph Opoku Gakpo who visited him saw his right leg wrapped in a huge white bandage.

A straight shiny metal has been fixed beside the leg to keep it straight because the bullets scattered the bone in the leg. 

“I was screaming before they put me in a pick-up and sent to the hospital,” he told the reporter.

Related: Sam George slapped, beaten during Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election

The leg has been placed on two supporting pillows to keep it up with blood and watery discharge from the leg.

When he was brought in, doctors told him they may have to amputate the badly damaged limb to keep him alive.

Yaro has already undergone two separate surgeries to help recover the leg and he is expected to undergo a third on Thursday, February 7.

Narrating what happened, the footballer said they were at the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary aspirant’s house when the masked men came to order them to leave.

They asked them why they should leave and just then a disagreement ensued, a warning shot was fired and the men started shooting.

“We did not have arms [as the masked men are claiming] because if we did they couldn’t have matched us. We were more than them,” he said.

The National Security Minister, Bryan Acheampong has admitted he deployed the men.

Yaro is married with three children and his family dreads the loss of a fully fit, active and supportive father.

“Our brother is on the verge of losing one of his legs as a result of the deliberate firing of guns by hooded armed thugs of the NPP,” a family member said. 

Donation, denial and unnecessary politicking

Meanwhile, the newly elected MP who visited the victims on Wednesday regretted how a simple democratic exercise degenerated into such unnecessary chaos.

“We shouldn’t have gone to this extent,” she told Joy News.

She disclosed that she deposited ¢5000 with the hospital to take care of the bills of Yaro and left her contact with the family members to get in touch with her should the victim need further expenses.

But family members of Yaro have rejected that claim.

Related: Ayawaso West Wuogon victim's family denies reports of Alhassan donating GH¢5k

According to the spokesperson of the family, Ibrahim Musah, said they have not received anything from Madam Alhassan.

They issued a release Thursday morning to that effect.

“She came here [hospital] yesterday [Wednesday], greeted our brother and left. We later read in the news that she deposited ¢5000 but we don’t know to whom.

“We were given some prescriptions to buy for Yaro after which an officer approached to tell us that the MP deposited some money for come medical bills for him,” he said.

Musah said the NDC and its leaders like former presidents Jerry Rawlings and John Mahama, Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, have all come to visit him to ensure that he is well taken care of.

According to him, announcing that she has visited and donated money to make the news is neither here nor there because they have not asked for it.

“She created the impression that we are cash-strapped and she was coming to pay the bills for him as if we are owing the hospital and unable to pay the bills,” he said.

He is challenging the MP to show which family member she spoke with to leave her contact.

Musah denied reports that Yaro is a member of the Azorka boys saying “he is branch youth organiser at Okaikoi Central in Fadama area.”