TEARS have continued to roll ceaselessly down their cheeks since their only son was killed by unknown assailants on October 23. Dauda Kurki, a retired Police Inspector and his wife, Monica, cannot but wonder why anyone would shoot their beloved only son, Emmanuel, dead.
The late Emmanuel had been attacked by his killers at Nasarawa Estate in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital, the residence of his in-law, Mr. Ango Ismaila Ewa, who had travelled to Abuja with his entire family
Now rendered childless by the incident, 70-year-old Inspector Dauda will have to continue life’s journey with his 66-year-old wife without their only son.
In the tense atmosphere at their Assakyo village in Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State where the burial of the late Emmanuel took place on Thursday, the bereaved father obliged our correspondent with an emotional account of how his deceased son died.
The elder Kurki, who stays in Lafia with his son-in-law Mr Agyo Ismaila, the director of finance and accounts at the Nasarawa State Ministry of Youths and Sports, said he was only informed about Emmanuel’s death on Sunday (October 24).
He described the late Emmanuel as a strong, calm and healthy gentleman who had no criminal record whatsoever, adding that he was preparing for the defence of his master’s degree at Nasarawa State University Keffi at the time he was murdered.
Mustering enough calm to reconstruct the events of the tragic day, Kurki said: “On the evening of Friday 22nd October 2021, my son in-law traveled with his children and wife to Abuja for an official engagement with the intention of coming back the next day.
“But when it became clear that they might not come back the next day, Ismaila’s wife put a call to Emma to go to the house in the evening of that Saturday, October 23, to put on the generator and switch on the fridge so that the food items stored in the fridge would be preserved
“He spent that night in the house, and when it was 10:30 am, he believed that the generator had been on for long and the food must be frozen. He went out to switch off the generator only to receive a call from an unknown number. Before he could switch off the generator, some gunmen jumped over the fence, stabbed him in the neck with a knife.
“Early the next morning, I got the sad news that he was killed at about 10:30 pm by some people who stabbed him in the neck.
“His lifeless body was brought to us and I could not believe that I was seeing my son’s body. We saw machete and axe cuts on his neck. In fact, they butchered him as if he was a goat and dropped his body by the gate of the house.”
Before setting out to off the generator, the late Emmanuel was said to have spoken with his girlfriend on the phone as they discussed their plans for the future, probably after defending his master’s degree thesis.
The poignant recollection drew tears from the eyes of the mother, who broke down again, saying: “Little did I know that he would not be going for the defence (of his thesis) in Keffi nor would I ever see him again.
“I am 66 years old while my husband is 70. We can’t bear children again. He was our only son. What a life! What is his offence? Life has no meaning to us again. We don’t deserve to live again. Emma was our hope.
“Whoever killed him will not see anything good in life. Our world has come to an end. Our only son is gone. What a wicked world.
“Losing an only son at old age is a lifetime scar that can never be healed. It is traumatic. My only son’s death is like a bad dream I wish I could wake up from. There is no day or time I don’t feel loneliness inside me. Since the death of my son on 23rd October, life has not been the same without him around, and he keeps appearing to me in my sleep.
“My son was coming out of the university with a master’s degree in Forensic and Correctional Psychology. He was left with just one defence to complete his programme. His dream was to return immediately for his PhD and become a lecturer.
“His desire was to get his PhD and become a professor. We prayed for him on a daily basis and supported him to achieve his desire. My courage was that despite the fact that he was the only son, his quest for education would benefit us.
“He kept encouraging us not to lose hope in life; that the future looked bright. He had all the hope that the days ahead would be better. He had good plans for us and and he never foresaw death in the near future.
“All I want is that the security agencies should help me find the killers of my son.”
Speaking exclusively to our correspondent, the son in-law to the family, Mr Agyo Ismaila Ewa said the late Emma lived with him for 15 years, describing him as a complete gentleman who was focused on achieving his set goals.
He also raised the alarm that his life was in danger, noting that the gunmen were in his house to kill him and not the late Emma.
He said: “Absolutely very sad. It was not actually an issue I would like to revisit because Emma as a person, I brought him up and rented an apartment for him. He wasn’t staying with me; we were away to Abuja for an official engagement
“Our intention was to come back on Saturday, because we left Lafia with my wife and children on Friday evening. So we discovered that the essence of going to Abuja was not actually achieved. There was a need for us to spend another day, so we put up there for another night.
“In the evening of Saturday, 23rd October, my wife put a call to Emma that he should please go to my house and switch on the generator and ensure that it was on throughout the night because she had some beverages and other food items in it.
“That was the why we put up there for one more night. Ordinarily, he wasn’t staying in our house, so my belief is that they were not there for Emma; they were there for me, because Emma does not stay there. It is a serious situation and I want the security to take charge. My life is at stake, the security should be aware of the situation going on.
Emma was on the phone with his girlfriend till about 10:30pm when he went out to off the generator and she said Emma was saying, ‘No, please I’m tired; I want to go and off the generator.’ That was the last conversation he had with his girlfriend
On stepping out, he met the hoodlums that attacked and killed him.
The police officer in charge of mounted troops, Nasarawa State Police Command, Mohammed Hashimu Maiwada, who also lives in the area, said: “I know Emma very well. He was very obedient.
“At about 5:30am on Sunday, October 24, I was preparing to go to the mosque for the morning prayers when I got a call that there was a dead body
“I rushed to the place immediately and met him on the ground dead. So I was shocked. I checked all round and saw how they dragged with him.
“I called the Deputy Commissioner of Police and he asked me to call the DPO of A Division. We took the body for identification and later to the mortuary. But we discovered that they came through the fence. They took only his handset away.
“We have tracked the last phone calls that he made before his death, because we understand that after a conversation with his girlfriend, he also received a call while stepping out to off the generator.
“We are waiting for the results. So investigation is ongoing.”