Eventhough, the government ought to protect you, in case you are caught in the unfortunate situation of a gun shooting or attack. Here is what you need to do to stay safe.
1. Alert emergency services or call for help
In Nigeria, all the members of the armed forces, police, soldiers, road safety officers can be called upon in the case of emergency. The national emergency number is 122 and it works.
Alternatively, you can put it on social media to raise awareness and call for help.
2. When you notice suspicious activity or dangerous movement, find the nearest exit
If you feel like something is off where you are staying, you can move away from there before things get heated. Forget about your bag and luggage.
3. If shooting starts, stay in one place
If the shooting starts, it is not the time to run away. Lay down flat on the ground to avoid chest or abdominal wounds or hide behind a place where bullets cannot penetrate for example a steel door or lay down flat in the next room. When hiding, be as quiet as possible.
How to treat a gunshot wound
Let’s say you get shot or someone around you gets shot, no need to panic, what you do in the minutes after it happens is the conduit between life and death.
i) Stop the bleeding
The momentum of the bullet is what causes death. No matter where a person has been shot, the first thing you need to do is stop the bleeding and close up the wound.
You stop the bleeding by putting a lot of pressure on the wound, you can use a cloth, shirt, any fabric as a tourniquet and if you can’t find any cloth, use your hands or knee.
Another important reason you have to stop the bleeding is so that air does not get sucked into the wound. This will cause pneumothorax, a collapsed lung or cut breathing capability in half.
ii) Once you have done this, cover the person
The shock of the gunshot can cause them to lose consciousness. They may start to feel cold and shiver uncontrollably, this might make it harder for them to and make them unconscious, so cover them.
iii) Do not move the person who has been shot.
Moving them can have adverse effects like paralysis or affecting their spinal cord. Until a health care official comes, let them stay where they are, if the place is safe.
iv) Do not raise their legs
Raising their legs can make them bleed quicker, especially if they have wounds on their abdomen or chest. Try to get them to sit up – except it is a neck wound.
If they are unconscious, put them in a recovery position. On their sides, with one knee bent.
vi) Administer CPR if you notice they aren’t breathing, see how to administer CPR here.
Gunshot wounds are not as fatal if treatment is prompt and effective.
