No one is expected to die in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), although death is not always predictable. When death occurs in EFCC’s cage, it complicates things for the anti-corruption agency, which would need to clear the air.
The death of Arowofela Olufemi, who was being investigated by the EFCC in connection with alleged fraudulent conversion of dividend warrants of over N100 million, put a spotlight on detention conditions at the agency. He was arrested following a complaint by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). EFCC operatives reportedly apprehended him at a bank where he attempted to cash alleged stolen dividend warrants.
A report said the suspect was “offered administrative bail but could not produce a surety to perfect his bail thereby leading to extended incarceration”. According to a statement by EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren, the suspect had complained of chest pains early in the day and was rushed to an unnamed military hospital in Lagos, where he died before doctors could attend to him.
Uwujaren said: “The cause of the sudden death is yet to be ascertained even as the corpse of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The family of the deceased has already been notified of the incident while the matter has been reported to the Onikan Division of the Nigeria Police.”
The point about this particular death is that one is too many. It is ironic that a life was lost in custodial circumstances that should offer protection and safety. It is unclear whether the EFCC is structured to respond to health emergencies, like the one that resulted in this suspect’s death. This death calls for a review of the commission’s internal capacity to attend to detainees’ health-related problems before they get out of hand.
While it is true that detainees may affect illness as a manipulative way of escaping uncomfortable detention conditions, the commission cannot be too careful when health is involved because health is a weighty matter. Any detainee under the EFCC’s care should have prompt access to medical attention.
What caused the suspect’s death? Could it have been prevented by a timely intervention by the commission? It is important to shed light on this unfortunate incident to avoid giving the public the impression that detainees may not be safe in the EFCC’s net. A thorough investigation is necessary, and it should be carried out without delay.
In the current climate of political change under President Muhammadu Buhari, and given the intensity of his anti-corruption campaign, it is foreseeable that an increasing number of suspects would find themselves detained by the commission in the days ahead. The new EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu must ensure that the commission is equipped to handle detainees’ health issues that may arise.
It is a trite but accurate observation that every suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty. So, EFCC detainees, whatever the nature of the allegations against them, should be kept under conditions that are not so restrictive as to deny them the benefit of prompt and proper treatment should they fall ill.
It is reassuring that the EFCC chief said at a ceremony to launch his administration: ”I want to state our resolve not to falter on the well-established tradition of patriotism, dedication, courage and fearlessness, and we will take this responsibility with utmost seriousness that it deserves. There is the need to make sure that whatever is gotten for common use did not end up in private pockets.” The commission should also do its utmost to ensure that no suspect dies in its custody.
Laws are like spider’s webs. If anything small falls into them, they ensnare it. But large things break through and escape”. • Solon (638-559 B.C.), an Athenian statesman and poet
Information
Global radio waves throbbed with the breaking news of a penal judgment given in Saudi Arabia last week. The news painted a gory story of an adulterous woman (not a Saudi) who was sentenced to death by stoning while her male partner in sexual crime was sentenced to 100 lashes of the cane. The judgment has since become a global subject of debate in which personal opinions are being expressed across nations and religions. As usual, ‘The Message’ column picked up this sensitive but controversial issue for discussion today.
Preamble
Europeans who likened law to an ass may have generalised but not far from the truth after all. Laws generally are what human beings make them in the guise of interpretation. No law in any given society is naturally controversial. What brings about controversy is interpretation. All human laws, written or conventional, emanate from societal norms. Those norms only become laws when they are backed up by governing authorities.
Sources of Islamic law
In Islam, the body of the laws that govern the lives of Muslims is called Shari‘ah. This constitutes what is known as Islamic law or Islamic culture. It is derived from the following four main sources:
1.Qur’an, the direct words of Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through the Arch-Angel Jubril
2.Hadith, the divinely guided but personal expressions of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), which give interpretations to the contents of the Qur’an.
3.Ijma’, the consensus of opinions of the learned Muslim scholars which must conform to the first two sources above.
4.Qiyas, a scholarly analogy deduced from the first three sources above.
Analysis
These sources are in sequence of authority. Qur’an is the first and foremost among them. No other source can supersede or equal the contents of the Qur’an. If any other source contradicts the Qur’an, that source automatically becomes null and void.
Because the Qur’an was revealed in coded language, the need to decode it for the purpose of understanding became a necessity for Hadith to be adopted as the second source of Islamic law.
No one was as competent to give accurate interpretation of the Qur’an as Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who received its revelations from Allah through Arch-Angel Jibril. The Prophet himself acquired the knowledge of interpreting the Qur’an through informal tutelage from Arch-Angel Jibril as well as the informal revelations he received either while sleeping or through divine inspiration which are called ‘Hadith-ul-Qudsi’
The third source is the consensus of opinion of highly informed Muslim scholars (Ijma’) based on the provisions of the Qur’an and Sunnah. It came into being as a result of scholarly understanding of the first two sources by credible Muslim clerics. This source became necessary for harmonisation of Islamic jurisprudence even if environments and circumstances would still leave room for variations in language and presentations.
The fourth and last source is analogical deduction (Qiyas) which arose from peculiar situations in which clerics might find themselves at certain times and in certain places. This source allows for logical deductions that could be made from the first three sources without contradicting any.
Clarification
In sequence of authority, therefore, it becomes clear that only in the absence of Qur’anic provision can Hadith become the supreme legal authority in Islam. And, neither ‘Ijma’ nor ‘Qiyas’ can become point of reference where the Qur’an and Hadith are available. (Hadith is the collection of the divinely guided utterances of Prophet Muhammad while Sunnah is his exemplary conducts.)
Qur’anic Reference
Like any other law, Shari‘ah is classifiable into civil and criminal aspects. As relevant here, adultery is within the criminal aspect of Shari‘ah. It is a crime that incurs a serious sanction as its punishment is clearly prescribed in Qur’an 4 verse 2 as follows:
“The adulterer and the adulteress, give each of them one hundred lashes of the cane. Let no compassion in their case prevent you from obedience to the law of Allah, if you truly believe in Allah and the last day; and let their punishment be witnessed by a number of believers”.
The above quoted verse is Allah’s prescribed punishment for adulterers and adulteresses as well as for fornicators (male and female). In Arabic language, there is no distinction between an adulterer and a fornicator. The word for illegitimate sexual intercourse generally is ‘zina’ which is a crime in Islam. An adulterer is called ‘zani’ while an adulteress is called ‘zaniyah’. And those are the precise words used for the two respectively in the Qur’an. The two words are equally used for fornicators.
Proof of law
As for stoning to death, no specific chapter or verse of the Qur’an can be cited as evidence for its application. In other words, the Qur’an does not prescribe stoning as punishment for adulterers and adulteresses as it does in prescribing flogging for both. It is rather in the revealed Book (Thawrah), of Prophet Musa (Moses) otherwise known as Old Testament of the Bible that death is prescribed as punishment for adultery. (See Leviticus 20:10). Many versions of Hadith are often quoted to show how and when stoning as punishment for adulterers and adulteresses became a law. All the available evidences advanced in favour of this law are based on Hadith and Sunnah. But the question as to when the Prophet’s expression or action authorised stoning vis a vis the Qur’anic revelation on flogging quoted above remains unanswered.
Was it before or after its revelation? If it was after, could the Prophet have given a verdict that would contradict the contents of the Qur’an? If it was before, shouldn’t such Hadith or Sunnah be superseded by the Qur’anic revelation that came after it? Yet, there is the issue of homosexuality and lesbianism and the punishment prescribed for them by the Qur’an and Sunnah.
Comment
Given the antecedent of the record of Hadith, especially as exhibited by Abu Hurayrah, any informed Muslim must be careful in using any Hadith that contradicts the contents of the Qur’an, especially as a legal code in Islam. Statutorily, Hadith is meant to explain and complement the Qur’an and not to supersede the latter in any form. Where any Hadith conflicts with any verse of the Qur’an, the latter prevails. If any of these two major sources of Islamic law has ever been controversial as in the case of stoning, it could only have been the Hadith and not the Qur’an.
It was for this reason that Hadith was subjected to such serious scrutiny that led to scholastic separation of the wheat from the chaff in what came to be known as ‘Science of Hadith’.
Documentation of Hadith
It must be remembered that while alive, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) did not allow any documentation of his utterances in the name of Hadith. His position on this was that such documentation could lead to a conflict of Hadith with the contents of the Qur’an and therefore cause confusion among the Muslims Thus, because of his objection, many Hadiths that were already documented had to be burnt. But that fear was never fully allayed after all as we still have thousands of Hadith in circulation today classified as ‘weak’ (da‘if), ‘un-authorised’ (mawdu‘u) and ‘rejected’. Yet, they bear no names other than Hadith. It is an undeniable fact that the official compilation and documentation of Hadith did not take place until several decades after the demise of Prophet Muhammad (SAW). What led to that exercise by great scholars like Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Maja, Abu Daud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nisai and a host of others was the rampant fabrication of statements credited to the Prophet by certain mischievous elements.
One of such elements was one Abdus-Shams Ibn Shakhr Ad-Dawsi Al-Azdi who was later renamed Abdur-Rahman after embracing Islam but was popularly known as ABU HURAYRAH. This man associated with Prophet Muhammad (SAW) as a companion for only 22 months. Yet, he claimed to have obtained 5,375 Hadith which was by far more than the combined number of Hadith transmitted by Abub Bakr, Umar Bn Kahattab, Uthman Bn Affan, Ali Bn Abi Talib and Aisha (the wife of Prophet Muhammad). The history of Hadith and that of Abu Hurayrah will be told in this column in the very near future in sha’Allah.
Clarification
Unlike the Qur’anic revelations which were promptly documented officially as instructed by the Prophet himself, Hadith and Sunnah were not authorised for documentation by the Prophet. In such a melee, it will be foolhardy to depend exclusively on Hadith in giving a verdict as fundamental as stoning human beings to death, especially when the Qur’an is silent on such law.
Searching for evidence to justify stoning, some charlatans have claimed that an abrogated verse of the Qur’an contained stoning to death as the punishment for adultery. Such a pedestrian statement could only have come from evil minds and be meant only for ignorant people. The issue of Qur’anic abrogation is another topic to be discussed in this column on another day.
Categories of adultery
In Islam, adultery is one major sexual crime committed by married men and women. The acts of homosexuality (i.e. man to man sex) as well as lesbianism (i.e. woman to woman sex) are another. If homosexuals and lesbians are given the opportunity in Qur’an 4, verses 15-16 to repent with a promise of Allah’s forgiveness, why not the adulterers? The quoted verses go thus: “Against those of your women who commit adultery (lesbianism), call witnesses, four in number, from among yourselves; and if they bear witness, then keep the women in confinement until death release them or Allah shall make for them a way out of it. And if two (men) of you commit it (homosexuality), then punish them both; but if they repent and show remorse, leave them alone. Verily, Allah is forgiving, compassionate”.
Fabricated Hadith
Many versions of Hadith were relayed in respect of stoning. One of them was that a married woman confessed to the Prophet three times that she committed adultery and got pregnant as a result. The Prophet reportedly asked her to come and repeat the confession after delivery. It was thought that the woman would never come back having known the implication. But surprisingly, she came back after delivery and repeated the same confession three times.
There and then, the Prophet was said to have ordered some of his companions present to pelt her with stone. This act was reportedly carried out as the woman took to her heels. When those companions returned to the Prophet after several hours and informed him that they had stoned the woman to death, he was alarmed and scolded them for carrying out such a dastardly act saying he did not send them to kill her but merely to chase her away with pebbles.
One would wonder why the Prophet who was so trustworthy, just, compassionate and cautious about anything life generally would rush to give such a verdict (as reported) without investigating the matter conclusively. For instance, nothing in the referred Hadith tells us anything concerning the woman’s sexual partner (i.e. the man who impregnated her) before the judgment was allegedly given. That is not the exemplary Prophet described by Allah in the Qur’an thus: “you have a good example in Allah’s Apostle for anyone who looks to Allah and the last day and remembers Allah always”. (Q. 33: 21). Such Hadith could only at best be suspect.
Essence of punishment
The essence of any punishment in Islam is to enable people repent and desist from evil deeds. But what is amazing about the application of Islamic punishment for adultery is that only the lowly people in the society are caught and punished for it even when it is obvious that adultery is more rampant among the rulers and law givers themselves. Why is it that no single highly placed person has ever been caught and punished for adultery elsewhere in the contemporary world?
Let those who administer justice fear Allah. Like many other Hadith fabricated and credited to Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for authenticity, the commonly quoted Hadith about stoning sounds very much fabricated not only because it contradicts the Qur’anic contents and misrepresents the just personality of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
ERRATA
The Rector of MARKAZ, Agege, Sheikh Habibullah Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory, drew my attention to some errors in last Friday’s article entitled ‘Ekiti: A Taste of History’ in this column. Those errors are being corrected here thus:
1.The idea of establishing the League of Imams and Alfas of South West, Edo and Delta States was initiated by the founder of MARKAZ, Agege, Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory in 1964 and not 1967 as reported in the column last week.
2.The first Secretary-General of the League was Jum‘ah Bamgbola and not Sheikh Adam Abdullah Al-Ilory who nominated him to that post.
A middle-aged man aboard Arik Air’s Owerri-Lagos flight has been confirmed dead by doctors on arrival at the Lagos Airport, the airline disclosed Wednesday.
His body has been deposited in the mortuary by the Police while investigation into the immediate cause of death is ongoing.
According to a statement by the airline, the passenger boarded the flight from Owerri in the company of a relative.
The passenger was said to have shown signs of uneasiness midway into the flight.
ONE thousand, six hundred and thirty-nine condemned inmates are awaiting execution in the nation’s prisons, the Controller-General of Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Dr. Peter Ekpendu, said yesterday.
Ekpendu, who spoke while briefing the Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), on the activities of the service at its headquarters, gave the number of prisoners as 55,033.
He added that they include 19,374 convicted inmates and 45,659 awaiting trial inmates.
The controller-general did not give further information about the condemned prisoners.
Ekpendu regretted that Boko Haram activities claimed the lives of 45 NPS workers in the North.
He explained that the NPS has only 18 “Black Maria” trucks for transporting awaiting trial inmates to court, adding that the vehicles were grossly inadequate to meet the transport needs of the service.
His words: “The prisons formations are presently holding 55,033 out of which 1,639 were condemned convicts awaiting execution. We have 18 Black Marias, 12 non-functional trucks, 16 functional and four non-functional ambulances, which are grossly inadequate to meet our transportation needs.
“The smallest prisons should have at least an operational vehicle, ambulance and escort vehicles.
“We have shortage of 15,432 staff. The congestion in prisons is more in prisons that are in urban areas than those that are in rural areas.
“We have the challenge of violent extremism as a result of Boko Haram insurgence and we are working with the office of the NSA and the European Union (EU) among other stakeholders to de-radicalise the Boko Haram suspects in our prisons.”
The controller-general called for increased funding for the prisons service, noting that the organisation owed contractors who have threatened to stop supplying food and gas to prison formations.
Dambazau, who acknowledged the challenges being faced by the service, admonished the management and personnel to make judicious use of budgetary allocations.
He expressed concern over congestion in prisons and promised to ensure the building of modern ones and completion of abandoned projects.
The minister cautioned the NPS against wastage, stressing that the Federal Government took accountability and financial prudence seriously.
SOKOTO State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, his counterparts in Kwara State, Dr Abdulfatah Ahmed, Edo State (Adams Oshiomhole), Niger State (Abubakar Sani Bello) and others yesterday described Prince Abubakar Audu’s death as painful.
They enjoined the family and supporters of the late governorship candidate to take heart and consider the death of the politician as an act of God.
Tambuwal, according to a statement by his spokesman, Mallam Imam Imam, described Audu’s death as shocking.
Ahmed, in a condolence message, commiserated with the government and people of Kogi State on the death.
“It is particularly painful that Nigerians, especially the people of Kogi State, have lost the services of Alhaji Abubakar Audu, who was on the verge of being re-elected as the governor of Kogi State, going by the results of the election declared so far by INEC.
“It is, however, noteworthy that the political history of Kogi State will be incomplete without a chapter on the contributions of the late Audu to the democratic and infrastructural development of Kogi State,” Ahmed said.
Oshiomhole, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, said: “I received with shock, the sad news of the death of Prince Audu, candidate of our great party in the Kogi State governorship election.
“I was with Prince Audu just a few days ago, at the mega rally of our great party, where we marketed our party’s manifesto to the electorate and he looked hale and hearty as he dished out his plans to restore the glory of his state.”
The governor said Audu’s death, coming just as APC was getting ready to celebrate his lead at the polls, was sad.
Bello, who was chairman of the APC governorship campaign committee for the Kogi elections, said Audu’s death was one of the most tragic moments in the political history of Kogi State.
He said Audu died a dogged fighter and resilient optimist, who believed in the total rebirth of his state.
Former Niger State Governor Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu condoled with Kogi State Governor Captain Idris Wada on the death.
Aliyu, in a statement by his spokesman, Israel Ebije, described the late APC governorship candidate as a true democrat, a bridge-builder and one of the most experienced politicians in the country.
Lawyers yesterday told the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) that the death of the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) does not invalide the on-going election in the state.
They urged INEC to allow the deputy governorship candidate of the APC, Abiodun Faleke, to conclude the on-going election.
The former Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, Monday Ubani; a member of the Ogun State Judiciary Service Commission, Abayomi Omoyinmi and a lecturerý of Law at University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, Wahab Shittu said the process should be concluded.
Ubani said: “Since the Electoral Act didn’t specifically provide for things like this happening in the course of an election, we would have to make recourse to the judicial pronouncement in the case of Rotimi Amaechi where the Supreme Court said in an election, it is the political party that is the beneficiary of election and not the candidate. That is why Amaechi that didn’t contest elections was sworn in.
“In this situation, the deputy governorship candidate would have to step in to conclude the process. If he wins the election, the APC would then decide on another deputy for him”.
According to Ubani, the time to choose a candidate through primary election had lapsed for all the political parties and it is not possible for any of the parties to go for primaries anymore.
Omoyinmi said: “In the eyes of the law, the deputy should ordinarily conclude the re-run election for the office of the governor and it is now left for him to pick a new running mate”.
Omoyinmi said the kind of situation in Kogi was not envisaged.
Shittu said the matter could be viewed from different perspectives.
Shittu said since the election was declared inconclusive, the running mate should be allowed to step in and conclude the process of the supplementary election.
This, he said, has become necessary because the electoral law did not envisage such an incident–Audu’s death.
On the other perspective, he said since it is the ýparty that fields the candidate, and that since the election has turned this way, the party would have to replace the governorship candidate.
“Which means that election might be conducted afresh. The death of a candidate during the process of an election automatically voids the election. It is not a question of an election being inconclusive. The entire electoral process is now altered with the death of the governorship candidate,” he said.
Constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Malam Yusuf Ali said the situation in Kogi is “very complex, because the election has been declared inconclusive”.
He said: “If he had won the election outright, it would have been a different matter, but with the way things are, it is very delicate.”
Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN) said: “There can be fresh election. INEC can only conduct supplementary election in the 91 polling units. The death of Audu cannot nullify the election. It was APC that contested the governorship election not Audu as an individual.”
Akintola explained that it is left to the APC to pick another candidate from among those that contested the governorship primary with Audu or ask the deputy governorship candidate, James Faleke to take over.
“The decision lies with the APC,” he added.
The presidential candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP) in the last general elections, Chief Chekwas Okorie, said it was a very shocking development that threw everybody off-balance.
He said: “ From every indication, it is a political party that wins an election; the result so far released suggests that the people of Kogi State are favourably disposed to an APC government to be in-charge of affairs in the next four years. What it therefore means is that the APC still has a chance, even his death, to govern the state, based on the result already declared.
“So, they should follow up the supplementary election with the same atmosphere of peace that we witnessed in last Saturday’s election. If their choice is the APC, then let the APC rule them in the next four years.”
This is a column that seeks to mould, shape societal values and to protect the interests of consumers, citizens and touch other broader relevant topics under the column: ‘TRUE VALUE 360’. It is an interactive column as suggestions, complaints; day to day experiences are welcome.
This week’s edition is STARVATION AND THE COMMON MAN
Some analysts have propounded various theories about Nigeria being an accident waiting to happen or an accident happened already or that we will break up by a particular date etcetera, etcetera but we thank God we are still standing today and will keep standing by His Grace. One of the reasons given is that Nigeria comprises of unlikely bedfellows occasioned by forced marriage of various tribes. Many issues are begging for attention but today we are looking at the topic: STARVATION AND THE COMMON MAN.
There is a saying that a hungry man is an angry man. A hungry, angry man will never be reasonable in action and thoughts that is if he can think at all. Nigeria’s business economy to date is driven by government policies and because of the 2015 transition/ change of government process, a lot of business decisions were put on hold which had the ripple effect of making the year very hard on the citizenry. There is cash squeeze in the economy and investors are threading carefully to venture into new grounds; there has been massive disengagement in public and banking sector for various reasons, the private sector and small business enterprises are also not left out of the hopefully temporary financial and economic pains.
Citizens without steady income have become desperate and have devised various deadly means to survive. Lagos in particular has been witnessing serious impunity in recent times. The masses get handouts or income from the middle class but the middle class are also broke at the moment, reason why the hungry masses are resorting to terrorizing citizens.
Traffic jam in Lagos has reached an unprecedented scale and you cannot guess or predict the duration of trips to any destination in Lagos anymore.
It is a common daily occurrence for citizens to be robbed in these traffic jams with individuals losing personal belongings such as handsets, windscreens, handbags etc in recent times. These acts are being perpetuated by petty thieves and idle touts who have no means of feeding; some of them will ordinarily not go this route but out of desperation they become criminals as unemployment rate is one of the major issues we have not been able to deal with.
It is also common to find young men in their middle to late twenties ogling at women who are old enough to be their mothers and even grandmothers, not out of love interest but so as to get some extra feeding or survival income. These set abound everywhere from concerts, to salons, clubs and even on the streets. Our remaining values are being eroded at the twinkling of an eyelid; let us save our youths as they are our future.
Yes, we are overwhelmed with various urgent issues, but this menace will only escalate if a temporary solution is not found immediately.
If we cannot resort to the Bread and Circuses option, and it may be unrealistic to attain 80- 100% employment at the moment; we should endeavor to provide our own version of succor to the unemployed. Provision of at least a meal per day (without the circus) should be considered for the unemployed in every local government either through the local government authorities or through a special agency that will ensure that the meals get to the right persons, the country can afford it. This will reduce crime rate and petty robbery. This will also create employment for new sets of personnel.
Of course, I am not making a case for lawlessness or male prostitution here; to me it is an aberration, it is better to provide an immediate survival alternative than to leave the menace to come back to haunt us all. We already have enough on our hands in combating sophisticated crime, let’s not increase the number.
The panel set up by the management of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Choba Port Harcourt in Rivers State to investigate the cause of death of one of the students of the University of Port Harcourt, Kelechi Ndulagwu Precious has released its report. The late Miss Precious was an undergraduate student of Theatre and Film Studies of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
The management of the UPTH was forced to set up the panel following the wide protest and condemnation that trailed the death of Kelechi, who died on August 30, after she was reportedly denied treatment by members of staff of the hospital, which cited lack of available bed space.
The unlucky student was said to have later collapsed in her hostel bathroom and died shortly afterwards on the same day.
Her death did not go down well with her colleagues and leadership of the Students’ Union Government (SUG). This led to wild protests that grounded activities of the university. The angry students destroyed some medical equipment at the UPTH.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UPTH, Prof. Aaron Ojule quickly invited the press to exonerate the hospital from the allegation of the death of the undergraduate.
He said: “It was not an issue of rejection; we cannot reject anybody outside the campus let alone a student of the university. When the hospital is filled it is filled. We cannot ask somebody to go down to accept another. We sympathised with the victim’s family and the university over what happened. The students have alleged that we killed her, but we have no hand in her death.”
Prof. Ojule added: “We have set up a panel to investigate the issue. They came here and we told them there was no space at the time they came and when the lady died, they said it was UPTH that killed her. We have always told the people that UPTH is over-subscribed.
“Ironically, the panel, which was headed by a Professor of Obstetrics and a Professor of Gynaecology Prof. John Ikimalo, recommended the sack of two female nurses who were on duty when the late Kelechi was brought in.”
The recommendation of Prof. Ikimalo’s report, rather than settle the debate of the incident, has raised more questions, particularly as it contradicted the earlier stance of the CMD.
Prof. Ojule, who announced the result of the report of the panel in a press briefing at the boardroom of the hospital, explained that because of the critical nature of the matter, the management of the hospital decided to set up a panel to investigate the circumstances that led to the unfortunate incident.
He said the panel recommended the sack of two nurses on duty at the time of the incident. The CMD, who did not mention the names of the nurses, said the panel condemned their acts of laxity and indiscipline.
“The two members of staff flouted established rules and protocol that are applicable in the hospital. They have been issued queries and based on their unsatisfactory responses; the panel has recommended their sack. At present, we have placed them on suspension for three months without pay while waiting for the approval of the Ministry of Health.”
The panel’s recommendation has received the support of the Rivers State government.
The Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry Banigo said: “The punitive action taken by the panel set up by UPTH on the two nurses that orchestrated the death of Miss Kelechi Precious should serve as deterrent to erring public servants. The action of the management of the hospital would go a long way in checking future acts of negligence on the part of public workers.”
But some members of the public are unimpressed. They are of the opinion that the panel should have blamed the government for not living up to its responsibilities of providing adequate facilities in public health sector rather than blame the death of the student on the nurses on duty.
Those who have contrary views said the nurses were merely following instructions, which were alluded to by the CMD in his earlier press briefing, on what to do when there is no bed space in the hospital.
Reacting to the panel’s recommendation, President Nigerian Democratic Awareness (NIDAF), Comrade Obiajunwo Paul threatened to mobilise members of the public to protest the decision if the Ministry of Health decides to approve the recommendation of the panel.
“We are watching what will happen. What the panel did is to recommend. We want to know if the recommendation would be approved. It is unjust to blame the problem that the management should have accepted responsibility on the nurses on duty,” he said.
Did Maria Atere have a premonition of her death? The 400-Level Plant Physiology and Crop Production student of the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State died in a road crash, few hours after she said she wanted to see Jesus Christ. But, to her colleagues, the institution’s failure to come to her aid immediately after the accident led to her death. WALE AJETUNMOBI reports.
I want to see Jesus Christ.” This was said to be the late Maria Atere’s last words while discussing with her pastor and colleagues after service penultimate Sunday. She died in a road crash hours later.
Maria, a 400-Level Plant Physiology and Crop Production student of the Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Ogun State, died from injuries sustained in the accident on Camp-Alabata Road, a busy motorway that stretches to the institution’s main gate.
She was returning to her off-campus hostel at 7pm when the commercial motorcycle conveying her had a head-on collision with a cab. The motorcyclist died on the spot.
She was identified as a student on the scene of the accident by sympathisers, who called the Students’ Union Government (SUG) president, Dennis Nwenonye, to notify the school management. Told the severity of Maria’s injury, it was gathered that Dennis called other SUG leaders living off-campus to get her, while he rushed to the school Health Centre for an ambulance and doctor’s referral to take her to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Abeokuta.
The doctor on duty, it was learnt, refused to issue the referral, asking that Maria be brought to the clinic before he can refer her to the FMC. Dennis then spoke with the Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA), who ordered the release of the ambulance to take Maria to the FMC.
Before the ambulance arrived, some students had taken Maria in the SUG bus to a private hospital where she was referred her to the FMC. But, a few minutes after her admission, she died.
Her death led to a protest by students, who accused the school management of negligence. The protesters, led by SUG leaders, demanded the sack of the Director of the Health Centre, saying the late Maria could have been saved had the medical staff responded to the situation in time.
The protesters demanded N50 million compensation for the bereaved family. They called for the dualisation of the Camp-Alabata Road, which they described as a death trap. They barricaded the school gate and marched on the Administrative Block to draw the management’s attention to their grievance.
Although the school is on holiday, lecturers and non-teaching staff, who had other activities on the campus, were prevented from entering.
Reacting, the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Olusola Oyewole, set up an investigative panel chaired by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academics, Prof Muftau Waheed, to probe the alleged negligence by the Health Centre staff.
The panel was given a week for the job. Its Secretary, Mr Bright Obiriwonsi, led the school delegation on a condolence visit to the late Maria’s parents.
It was gloomy at the 16 Alfa-Nda Street, Ilasamaja, Lagos home of bereaved parents. When CAMPUSLIFE visited the house last Friday, sympathisers were streaming to console them.
Her father, Mr Emmanuel Atere, a pastor, betrayed emotion as he recalled how he learnt about his daughter’s death. As he spoke with our reporter, his wife, Felicia, also a pastor, wept uncontrolly. She gazed at the ceiling, deep in thought.
“I call this tragic incident a trial of faith,” Pastor Atere said, wondering why his daughter suffered “that cruel fate”, despite being a born-again Christian.
He described the late Maria as a child of God, who did not bear grudge against anyone. “She loved God and her siblings. She was always cheerful and free with anyone,” he said.
Reliving how he received the news, Atere said “untimely death” was the least he expected in his household as he prepared to sleep that fateful day. He said he had just finished his night prayer when he got a telephone call from Victoria, his first daughter, at 9:45pm.
“Victoria said I should start praying for Maria. I asked what happened to her; she told me her sister was in a coma. I became restless immediately. I could not call my wife, because I did not know if she had been told Maria was in a coma. I later got to know she was told that Maria was sick. We started praying immediately. We held a vigil all through the night; I did not sleep.
“At 4am on Monday, a senior Redeemed Christian Church of God pastor called me and told me to start coming to Lagos. I asked if Maria had woken up from coma, he said she was still being attended to.
He said I should take the next available flight to Lagos… After a few minutes, the pastor sent money for a flight ticket into my account.
“My friend took me to the airport at 5am. I was crying as we approached the airport, because I knew something tragic must have happened. But, I continued praying to God to avert calamity in my family. After I landed in Lagos, my son joined me and we departed for Abeokuta immediately.
“I met other family members with the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese and pastor of the church Maria attended. They took me to a mortuary and I was surprised. When I asked what was happening, they said my daughter was in the mortuary. At this point, I broke into tears and lost my memory. I could recall the Bishop led another prayer session at the mortuary to call back Maria’s spirit, but she did not wake up.”
Atere said the Bishop told him his daughter’s last words were: “I am in severe pain, let me go and rest in the bosom of Christ.” Atere said he is consoled that Maria died knowing Christ.
On the allegation that Maria died because of the school’s tardiness, Atere said he left everything to God to judge. “It is only God that can wipe away our tears. Whatever the school authorities have to say would be in their own favour. We don’t ask for any compensation; it would have been our joy if she was honoured while she was alive,” he said.
When Dorcas Oke, the only daughter of Ibadan-based preacher, Bishop Wale Oke, died in 2001, it broke the hearts of many. But, little did they know that her death would bring life to many children in distress n hopeless circumstances. BISI OLADELE and SIKIRU AKINOLA write that Dorcas’ death, which brought pains to her parents, has given hope to children in Ibadan and surrounding communities. This charitable work is done through the Dorcas Hope Alive Initiative (DOHAL).
Hers was a death lamented by many. Dorcas Oke, the only daughter of popular Ibadan-based preacher, Bishop Wale Oke died 14 years ago of complications from adulterated drugs. Her death rendered her parents distressed. Some of her father’s followers wept while family members were distraught. For years, some who knew Dorcas as a good, innocent girl, grieved.
DOHAL providing succour to vulnerable children
But bearing in mind that the girl has gone for good, Bishop Oke and his wife Victoria decided to immortalise their ‘angel’ with a charity organisation christened Dorcas Hope Alive Initiative (DOHAL). That was two years after Dorcas’ death.
The late Miss Oke was a 300-level student of Engineering at the University of Lagos before her death. The 17-year-old had typhoid fever and was given drugs, which, unknown to medics and her parents, were adulterated.
Dorcas, who was the first of the two children in the family, was described by friends and acquaintances as brilliant, gentle and futuristic.
Since October 28, 2003 when DOHAL was established, the foundation has given hope to hundreds of grown-up children who had been consigned to the backside of life by poverty, sickness and lack of useful information.
According to the one of the directors of the Dorcas Oke Hope Alive Initiative (DOHAL), the initiative is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) working in the field of health and development, contributing to the prevention of untimely death among youth, children and women in Nigeria and Africa at large. We largely focus on orphan and vulnerable children (OVC).
Using initiatives tailored towards specific challenges in the society, the NGO helps to prevent deaths among rural and urban children and women, even as it offers poverty eradication programmes as well as relief materials to victims of disasters.
The programmes include the Death Prevention Programme (DPP), Youth Emancipation and Empowerment Programme (YEEP), Poverty Eradication Programme (PEP), Rural Development and Empowerment Programme (RUDEP) and Disaster Relief Programme (DRP).
Through these programmes, many youths in communities and villages in and around Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, are being helped with empowerment tools, offered information on prevention of diseases while hoodlums are being rehabilitated to lead rewarding life.
For instance, under the Death Prevention Programme, several deaths have been prevented, particularly for rural dwellers through the foundation’s information, education and communication materials on preventable health issues such as HIV and AIDS, sexually-transmitted diseases, malaria, Hepatitis B, yellow fever and tuberculosis.
The NGO also sponsors treatment of minor ailments in local communities as well as partners with health agencies on life-saving programmes such as immunisation and tests. It also facilitates education on nutrition and environmental safety.
Summarising the objectives of the project, DOHAL Executive Director, Mrs. Oluwafunmilayo Ajibulu said: “In pursuance of the Death Prevention Programme, DOHAL embarks on series of school outreach as part of its missions of providing information, education and counseling on preventable health concerns, using integrated and sustainable approach. Issues discussed include reproductive health, dangers of pre-marital sex, personal hygiene, child abuse, developing a wholesome personality and other preventable heath concerns.”
Through this programme, diseases and deaths have been prevented in homes and communities.
For the YEEP, DOHAL organises career counseling and seminars, offers scholarship for indigent students from poor homes as well as skill/vocational and entrepreneurial development and training. It also embarks on mentoring and motivational talks.
Under YEEP, several out-of-school youths of both genders are identified and trained in various vocations to help them to earn decent living. For instance, the organisation has arranged several trainings in barbing for boys and hair dressing for girls. So far, over 1,000 out-of-school children have benefitted from this programme, thereby restoring hope to many homes.
DOHAL’s Disaster Relief Programme (DRP) has assisted many victims of flood and other natural disasters. For instance, relief materials, including food, clothes and building materials were distributed to Ibadan flood victims in 2012 while cash was also donated for the rehabilitation of one Mrs. Hafsat Abiade who was a survivor of electricity shock in Apata area of Ibadan in 2012.
Through this programme, DOHAL has also donated clothes, food, drugs, building materials and cash to victims of Jos communal crisis in 2010. The programme also covers prison and market outreach through which items are donated to prisoners in Agodi Prison, Ibadan. Counseling and medical outreach were organised for traders at the Bola Ige International Market, Gbagi, Ibadan.
Under its Rural Development and Empowerment Programme, villages, including Ikija, Adeosun, Oyainu and Sanusi (in Ibadan) have benefitted from welfare packages donated by DOHAL. They included provision of potable water, sustainable sanitation facilities, access to micro-financing, promotion of community health and awareness on civil matters.
The organisation also identifies vulnerable children and link them with orphanages.
Through these and many more, DOHAL, which was borne out of a young girl’s death, has become a source of hope and life for many youths. Besides, the NGO instituted an annual lecture where salient issues affecting youths and women are discussed by experts with the aim of creating awareness on such dangerous issues.
Explaining the reason for some of the programmes, Bishop Oke said many deaths in Nigeria are preventable, including that of Dorcas. He urged the society to rise up and take necessary measures based on the firm belief that life is sacred.
In his speech at this year’s lecture at the weekend, Bishop Oke said DOHAL has been affecting and changing lives positively around the country.
His words: “Over the past 12 years of its existence, DOHAL, inspired by the experience of the church of Christ, has been positively affecting and changing lives around the nation, one life at a time. God certainly knows how to turn tragedy to triumph. He knows how to turn sorrow to joy. We give Him all the glory due to Him; specifically for all He has done with DOHAL over the past 12 years.”
•Medical personnel examining a child
Oke said the NGO believes that everybody has the right to life, right to happiness and enjoyment and the right to maximum fulfilment. “We depend on public-spirited individuals to give and participate in our programmes and to make sure that the children of Africa do not die needlessly like Dorcas did.”
He further explained that though the organisation was set up as part of the “Mercy Ministry” of the Sword of the Spirit Ministries, it offers help to the needy irrespective of their religion, gender or background.
The Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo delivered a lecture entitled “Child Abuse and the Challenges of the African Child” at the event.
According to Osinbajo, children in African cultures are regarded as gifts from God. “We have not found that society where a child is a curse except in an ignorant society; when we started having twins and triplets. The birth of children is heralded with joy. Why is it that these same children whose birth were celebrated with fanfare made to suffer from the society?” he queried.
Osinbajo, who was represented by former Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Ade Ipaye, said Nigeria passed its Child Rights Act (CRA) in 2003. “For now, 24 states have passed the child rights act into law. Lagos and Akwa-Ibom have been enforcing the law. All the states that have pass this act into law adopt the age of 18 as age of consent.”
Continuing, he said: “When you beat a child in a way that will cause permanent damage to him or her, you have violated the CRA. The age below 18 is when we instill character, ideas and attitude into the child. Anything she learns constitutes what is going to form part of her adult life.
“Tribal marks, tattoos, child trafficking, child labour, betrothal, child molestation, child prostitution, depriving a child access to education and enlistment of children into the armed forces are against child rights act.
“Some of these child abuses are not always intentional but the law does not know that. If you circumcise a girl-child, you have committed an offence under the law.
“Ignorance and poverty can be the reason but they are not valid excuses. It is an offence for you to beat a child just because he or she is not serious. It is a crime under the law. This abuse goes beyond physical assault; it is affecting some internally and you cannot notice it. Some have been exposed to some criminal activities that cannot make them useful to themselves again.
“Forty per cent of Africans live in slums. You can have a family of seven in a room. In this kind of situation, there is the likelihood of child abuse. Majority of African children living in slums have either of his parents. HIV and AIDS kills women and children mostly in the slums. There is no security of lives and properties there.
“More than 2,000 children have been sold into slavery in sub-Sahara Africa. Only 57 per cent of African children are enrolled in primary school and only three per cent completes it,” he noted.
He further explained that there are some religious interpretations to child abuse. “Some will say their religion is against some things which are against the law. The only way out of this is for them to be educated. The law frowns at some religious and traditional interpretations. You cannot do what you like to your children. You cannot beat a child to coma.
“Some cultural and religious perspectives need to be changed. We have the law. How we enforce it should be paramount in our minds.
“Child marriage is still rife in Nigeria. Thirty per cent of our children between the ages of 18 and 24 are married before adulthood. Poverty is a problem that we must do all we can to tackle. Tackling it will go a long way in curbing child abuse. Let us stop insurgency also. When a child loses a parent, it affects the child in many ways.
“We will begin to make impact when we set up agencies to tackle this menace. Let us report and the appropriate quarters will react to it. Institutions must be put in place for people to lay their complaints.
“To children, it is good for them to speak up. There are cultures which forbid children from speaking against injustice. Children must have knowledge of what constitutes abuse. Education will give them the confidence to speak up. Though the responsibility is of government but it cannot do it alone. Education is a solution to many problems because an enlightened child will not die in silence. We must fight against all social vices,” he advised.
