Death, according to William Shakespeare, is a necessary end. Martin Heidegger described it as an inevitable condition of humanity. In metaphysical terms, death is believed to be individualistic; affirming the notion that every man must die his own death. Death brings an abrupt end to man’s aspirations, a leveller of the perpetual parallels between the rich and poor, strong and weak, compassionate and the wicked. These distinctions clearly mirror the recent death of Miss Oluchi Anekwe who was said to be a top flight student of Accounting at the University of Lagos. She was full of promise until death decided to snatch her bright future away. The narrative purrs with the most pathetic of emotions.
Many things have been said and written about this incident and the life of the persona. For a fact, these emotions are not out of place, considering the circumstances surrounding her unfortunate demise. But sadly, all these are largely insufficient to resurrect the promising gem. But there are clear facts deductible from this incident. If anything, it shows how we don’t value human life in this part of the world. And I just can’t help but wonder what the future holds for a society whose people and institutions have clearly demonstrated untoward contempt for the value of life.
Reports of the various investigative committees revealed the depth of that contempt. Students have continuously complained about the level of sparks from not just that pole but on several other poles. But nothing has been done until fate decided to play a fast one on innocent residents of New Hall where the pole is cited.
The school management has not stopped trading unnecessary blame on the ownership of the cable. But the management seems to forget that the said cable is not only naked but that it also constitutes danger to students who reside around that area. It would have cost school management little to liaise with authorities of PHCN to fix the wire. But the tradition of bureaucratic process in Nigeria’s civil service seems to have blindfolded the authorities from taking proactive steps. That tradition is not entirely new even in cases of emergency where people barely pass the buck to other people or refuse to do their job altogether. The culture of passing files from table to table is the norm, even if it involves emergencies as critical as the electric sparks from this pole. Members of staff in the service station have a share of this blame as the entire episode would have being avoided if they had been proactive.
But the deed had been done and we can’t help but learn the hard way. Death has decided to take Oluchi as deterrent for our collective negligence. Death, where lies your strength as you took delight in cutting short a fellow whose promise and flourish are as bright as the stars of heaven? One day, perhaps, officials who were privy to the condition of that cable but refused to act in good time may have to answer the creator of all flesh.
May be it takes just one Oluchi to point out what many had reported to officials working around the New Hall area of the campus. Protesters or those who intend to challenge this obvious negligence need not ground the activities at the university as no amount of disruption will bring back our late compatriot. What we need is an empathy revolution; a paradigm shift from putting human life at risk just because of sheer inefficiency and bureaucracy. As I watched some of the aggrieved protesters the other day, I was not sure Oluchi will be happy to see people have fun all in the name of protesting an issue that would not have arisen, had the authorities acted promptly. A number of students took pleasure in the lecture-free day that followed the incidence. Some took to stealing the wares of campus sellers all in the name of protesting OLuchi’s death. Some went as far as ripping open the tires of PHCN vehicles in their office situated off campus.
Today, it is Oluchi. Who knows who the next cable will fall on? Is this incidence likely to jolt other public servants to action and be a little proactive? Only time will tell.
Former Military President Gen Ibrahim Babangida has condoled with the Awolowo family on the death of their matriarch, Mrs. Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo,
In a statement yesterday, Babangida said: “ Her death comes to me as a personal loss and strikes a sense of nostalgia in me.
“The Awolowos- the late sage and his soulmate-both lived exemplary and selfless life, promoting the common good for the human society.
“I have enjoyed a personal and warm relationship with the Awolowos, especially from my days in office at Dodan Barracks, when she accompanied her husband to visit me when I returned from a medical trip abroad. “It was the first time any government was enjoying such kind of honour of a visit that was more personal than official.
It is not an accident of history that she is being celebrated today as she joined her ancestors. This unique celebration is in recognition of the unassailable fact that she lived a fulfilled life tempered by love for mankind, respect for constituted authority, and peaceful co-existence amongst all the different tongues and tribes in the country.
The senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Mrs. Oluremi Tinubu, in her condolence message, said: “I received the news of the death of Mama HID Awolowo with great shock and sadness. The passing of the matriarch at 99 was still unexpected.
“We all had gotten use to having her around and her unexpected departure has left us empty. Her demise will deny us of her vast knowledge on morals, political values and strength of character.
“I personally will miss mama whose life and commitment had a great effect on me. I knew her to be a woman of substance. Her commitment to the ideals of a just and equitable society was without doubt. Her consistency and firm believe in God remains an inspiration for me. Her death is indeed a great loss not only to the family.
“Mama Awolowo advocated for women emancipation and youth development. She was also a lover of peace and invested her time in preaching for oneness. She brought a personal and family touch to politics . She remains an asset to our long political history.
“Mama Awolowo will for long be remembered for sustaining the Awolowo political legacy and for promoting the values of tolerance, good society and religious and political harmony.
“I pray God to comfort her family, relatives and all those whose lives she touched dearly.”
Nigerian football averted double tragedy on Sunday in Umuahia after two players collapsed and had to be revived, after several minutes during a Glo Premier League Week 30 tie between Abia Warriors and Warri Wolves.
It is no news that Abia Warriors secured the available three points at the end of the tie but Seasiders’ Solomon Kwambe and Ifeanyi Onyeali had to be stretchered off being unconscious after both players collided in an aerial battle.
Kwambe and Onyeali were brought back to life after several work by the medical team at the Umuahia Township Stadium.
Kwambe couldn’t continue the match and had to be replaced while Onyeali who came back over 20 minutes after receiving treatment with bandage on his head later got the winning goal in the 54th minute.
The Media Officer of Abia Warriors, Igwe Onuoha confirmed the incident and he also added that the home team lost their goalkeeper, Bassey Akpan to injury quite early in the game and had to be replaced by Chimezie Anozie.
Labour is pushing for death penalty for treasury looters. But lawyers think otherwise. To them, there are better ways the Buhari administration can fight corruption other than capital punishment. ROBERT EGBE writes.
The hangman’s noose? A firing squad? Stoning? Have your pick. You steal public funds, you die. This is the penalty the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) want for looters.
Their demand, made last Thursday at a joint press conference in Abuja by NLC President Ayuba Wabba and TUC President Bobboi Kaigama – as radical as it seems – was not arrived at lightly.
Only 39 of the world’s 175 countries were more corrupt than Nigeria last year, according to the Transparency International global corruption index.
In a paper titled: “Corruption, national development, the Bar and The Judiciary” presented at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in 2012, former Vice President of the World Bank for Africa and former Minister of Education Dr. Oby Ezekwesili said $400 billion of Nigeria’s oil revenue has been stolen or misused since independence in 1960.
The severity of the problem was acknowledged by President Muhammadu Buhari during his trip to the United States, when he declared: “If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria.”
The president has since set up a seven-man Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption headed by eminent lawyer Prof Itse Sagay (SAN). The committee will advise the government on the prosecution of the war against corruption and the implementation of the required reforms in the criminal justice system.
All Ministries, Departments and Agencies are to maintain a Treasury Single Account (TSA); the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have stepped up their investigation of corruption cases.
But, labour is not satisfied. It feels that a harsher penalty is needed to combat what it sees as problems of weak laws, especially the granting of perpetual injunctions stopping corruption cases. To labour, the way out is to make corruption a capital crime.
Crimes, such as armed robbery, murder, treason, conspiracy to treason or instigating invasion of Nigeria, are already subject to the death penalty. But the use of death penalty usually generates mixed opinions and for seven years between 2006 and 2013, there were no executions in Nigeria. Things changed in 2013 when four condemned robbers were executed.
Lawyers disagree with labour
Lawyers do not seem to share labour’s enthusiasm for capital punishment.
Alegeh
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Augustine Alegeh (SAN) said death penalty is against global trends and won’t help efforts to recover stolen funds.
He suggests the encouragement of proactive steps that will prevent looting or make it difficult, if not impossible.
Alegeh said: “With respect to labour’s views, what we think we need to put in place are more measures that will ensure that stealing is made impossible or very difficult for people to pillage treasuries; that way, we secure ourselves so that money is not taken away.
“Current efforts by this government are in line with modern practices. If we kill them and we don’t get the money, what have we gained as a country?
“Even in capital offences, there is an increasing trend against the death penalty, so, I don’t think we should be in the opposite direction at this time of our national history.’’
He added that NBA encourages the strengthening of institutions and systems in the fight against corruption.
“Our position at NBA is that there should be more measures to strengthen the system, and ensure that pillaging of the system is reduced to the barest minimum, and we see that the steps the government is taking are along the same lines; single treasury, single account, etc.
“These measures will significantly take care of the loopholes through which looting could occur. These are proactive measures that saves the country from the cost of litigation, cost of prosecution, loss of revenue, the time lapse between when the money gets into the wrong account and when it is recovered.”
Ubani
According to a former chairman, NBA, Ikeja Branch, Onyekachi Ubani, death penalty by itself is not the solution to the problem of corruption.
He said though capital punishment for looters appears to be having the desired effect in China, Nigeria’s problem is not the absence of penalties for offenders.
“If you take into cognisance what corruption has done to the nation’s growth, you’ll tend to agree with anyone that is calling for the death penalty for offenders,” Ubani said, adding: “but I tell you that the death penalty alone cannot deter corruption in Nigeria.
“Our problem is actually the willpower to implement the laws even as enacted. Enforcement is difficult and as long as we don’t enforce our laws, even if we make death the penalty for corruption, you’ll find out that the institutions will not even apply it.”
For Adetokunbo Mumuni, director of Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), death penalty is a complete no-go area. Mumuni is an advocate for the cancellation of the death penalty for all capital offences, let alone corruption. He also feels killing people for stealing public funds would be tantamount to allowing them to escape.
He said: “Once someone is killed for looting, you have more or less allowed him to go without experiencing the shame that is associated with what he has done. I would prefer that the person be given life imprisonment.
“What he has made from the corrupt practices should be recovered, including even what he has legitimately acquired. That will ensure absolute deterrent and that person will now live a life of penury. Unlike when you kill the person and the family will begin to benefit from his loot.”
Although NBA Ikorodu Branch Chairman, Adedotun Adetunji, feels labour’s call for death penalty is in order, he believes the National Assembly would be reluctant to pass such a law.
“This country is so complex that I don’t see the legislature agreeing to enact such law,” he said. “I think such law would actually be the best, because it would serve as a serious deterrent.
“When one or two people are caught and executed for corruption, all of these incidents of people storing huge amounts of stolen dollars in rooms and the craze for illegally amassing wealth will stop.”
Activist-lawyer Ebun Olu Adegboruwa also feels that resorting to death penalty is retrogression.
Ebunoluwa Adegboruwa
“I think it will be retrogressive for us as a nation, because of the frustration of corruption, to be moving backwards, to be activating what others are doing away with,” he said.
Adegboruwa also says some members of the unions are guiltier of the corruption they accuse politicians of. He suggests that the cleansing must start from within labour itself, especially its civil service arm, otherwise labour would have no moral grounds to condemn anyone.
He said: “Globally, the death penalty is becoming an anathema, whether it’s for corruption, drug trafficking, murder, or any other offence. The United Nations is making a campaign to abolish the death penalty.
“Secondly, I do not think that labour leaders, civil servants are in a good position to advocate for any penalty for corruption.
“Those who carry files, directors, permanent secretaries, they are the problems of this nation, beyond politicians who are just figures, who are expected today and leave office tomorrow.
“So, they don’t have the locus, it amounts to sheer hypocrisy; the unions have to clear the whole house first. To be pointing fingers at people for corruption is to be pointing it at themselves. Until that lesson is done, I think the blame in this game should go back to the civil servants.
He gave what happened with former Minister of Health, Mrs Alonge Gray, as an example.
“No politician can embezzle money without the connivance of civil servants. You remember the experience of Mrs. Gray Longe, the former Minister of Health that former President Olusegun Obasanjo disgraced?
“It was civil servants that told her ‘Mama, there is excess money, don’t return the money.’ And they were the ones that shared it; they gave her a formula for sharing.
“So, civil servants are the ones who put politicians’ hands in corruption. The war against corruption should start with the civil servants, when they’re making this clamour, they’re making it against themselves.”
Perpetual injunctions
The unions also kicked against the grant of perpetual injunctions in unjustifiable situations. On this issue, they find common ground with lawyers.
“It’s quite a challenge for us as lawyers,” said Adegboruwa, “we cannot out of blind patriotism cover up the rot in the judiciary, whether at the Bar or Bench.
“It is still painful to me today that the court gave a perpetual injunction in favour of the former governor of Rivers State, Peter Odilli, to the extent that up till today no one can take anything done by that administration. It’s painful for us at the judiciary.
“The EFCC refused to appeal against that, for whatever reason. If at all there should be such an order, it should be a temporary thing, when their positions are laid bare, and there is no persecution, no witch-hunting, the person should go and clear himself in the court.
“By giving such an injunction, the court is indirectly working against itself. I think the NBA will have a lot to do in this regard, in terms of the attempts to restrain courts and the police from investigating people.”
Mumuni agrees. He feels such injunctions ought to be challenged.
“You can’t give an injunction against somebody who has a legal duty to carry out,” he said. “So those kinds of orders are manufactured in mischief, conceived in mischief and delivered in mischief.
“What the EFCC would have done would be to challenge that type of terrible order before a higher court, and I believe that the higher court would not have agreed with that particular judge.
Declaration of assets
Labour’s call for office holders to declare their assets thrice; before swearing-in, while in office, and upon leaving office is already covered in a similar constitutional provision.
Section 11 (1) of the fifth schedule of the 1999 Constitution mandates public officials to declare their assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau at least twice; before and immediately after leaving office.
The declaration, which must be in writing, shall include all of the office holder’s properties, assets, and liabilities and those of his/her unmarried children who are under 18.
Until last week, I took it for granted that his name was Benjamen. Do not blame me; he is called Ben Ayade. He is the young professor at the helm as governor in Cross River State. He succeeded Senator Liyel Imoke. His name is actually Benyaushuye. And wait for the meaning: “The future is unknown; a poor man can become rich”. He also bears Benedict. But not Benjamin as I had assumed.
Ayade was born into a poor home. Now, he is rich. He has been rich before becoming Cross River’s generalissimo. On Monday, he made me happy. He signed a bill which decrees death unto gbomogbomos (kidnappers). The law also empowers the state to seize assets as well as freeze accounts belonging to convicted kidnappers and those who aid and abet them.
Gbomogbomo is the Yoruba word for a kidnapper, especially the variant who specialises in the abduction of children. The child’s age does not matter. Neither does the sex. And unlike the other variant, who makes a phone call to the parent or guardian or employer of the ‘hostage’ to demand ransom, gbomogbomo never calls anyone. He or she just grabs the child and disappears with the child. And most of the time, it is forever. His motive is not the money from the parents or guardians or employers of their victims. Their loyalty, like those of hired assassins, is always to their patrons, who we have been told are usually the rich and the powerful.
The significance of Ayade’s action makes sense when one considers the fact that Cross River State has had its fair share of the gbomogbomo menace. Its capital, Calabar, which the state government has done all within its power to market as the tourism headquarters of Nigeria, has had and is still having scary moments as a result of the gbomogbomos.
In a number of instances before Ayade came on board, kids just disappeared. It put parents on the edge. There were also instances where children were snatched from the arms of their mothers or guardians by abductors who pretended to offer them lift in their cars; others were abducted right from their homes while their parents were not at home or in another part of the house.
The targets, at some point last year, were children under 12. Their background, whether from rich or poor families, meant nothing.
Like typical gbomogbomo cases, several theories, from abduction for rituals, trafficking and sale to childless couples, have been formulated to explain the development, which has forced parents to take extra precautions to save their children from the hands of these agents of darkness.
A report in this paper May last year quoted a single mother of three children as saying: “I now pray double about the safety of my children. Whenever I am not with them, for instance when they go to school, my mind is never at rest until I see them again, safe and sound. Personally, I have also taken precautions on my own to ensure their safety. I don’t let them play around the house anymore. Now, I ensure they are always indoors, if there is nothing necessary to take them outside. It has become a worrisome situation and we are praying they should do something urgently about it. We know Calabar as a peaceful place devoid of all these kinds of things. Now, we don’t know what is happening.”
The sad part of the gbomogbomo of Calabar is that no place is sacred. God means nothing to them, neither does His house.
Sometimes last year, a boy, identified simply as Victor, was snatched by an unknown person in a church during service. He was just 3. His parents must have asked all those rhetorical questions: Why us? Who did we offend? Of course, they offended no one. They were just victims of men whose happiness come from nothing but wreaking havoc on others. The modern-day slave merchants have sold their hearts to the devil. Damn heartless bastards.
Imagine a case last year at Ikot Ansa in Calabar Municipality: A child was supposed to be dedicated in church on a Sunday, arrangements were made. Food and drinks were ready. Invitees must have also been salivating about the food and perhaps practised one dance-step or the other. But, when members of the household woke up in the morning, the baby was nowhere to be found. The baby was abducted the night before. The family was shattered. They did not know when someone came in and abducted the child. Or, did the baby crawl away from the bed?
The mother was in a coma for a long time and the father was hysterical. It was a tragedy nothing prepared them for. Not their education; not their age; not their intelligence. What should have been a celebration of life, with azonto and ethighi dance steps just became a macabre dance.
Another terrifying case was that of a four-year old boy, Effiong, son of a bank security man and a fried yam seller, who was abducted at the Ekorinim axis of C74alabar in a car with no registration number. This also happened last year.
But nemesis has caught up with some gbomogbomos. In April last year, four girls, aged between four and six, were hawking sachet water on a street in Calabar when some men attempted to snatch them. They raised the alarm and the men were snatched instead and taken to the Atakpa Police Station where a mammoth crowd gathered to see the faces of evil. Victor Bassey was arrested after a failed attempt to snatch a baby from her mother inside a cab.
The situation became so disturbing that a member of the last House of Assembly, Ngim Okpo, brought a motion of Urgent Public Interest “on the increasing incidents of child snatching where in recent times, have been several reported cases of kidnapping of innocent children by some unscrupulous elements for alleged ritual purposes”.
There have been a few instances this year, which must have prompted the governor to move against these evil men.
Only a few days ago, a community leader in Creek Town, Odukpani Local Government Area, Chief Asuquo Ekpenyong Ekpe, was kidnapped. He is the elder brother of the former Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Chief Ekpenyong Ita.
A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Prevent Abuse of Children Today (PACT) Coalition, Cross River State, a few days ago, raised the alarm over what it said was the increase in the number of children kidnapped in the state.
The coalition said in less than one year, it documented reports of the kidnap of at least 20 children in different parts of the state. It said Calabar “is now nose-diving into a den of kidnappers with incessant reported cases of child kidnapping.” It gave the ages of the victims as between one and seven.
The NGO gave some instances of kidnapping of children this year: “On the 9th of July 2015, a 1 year and 9 months old baby was kidnapped at Ikot Abasi Obori Street, Ikot Ishie Town, Calabar. On 2nd June, 2015, a four-and-a half-year old child was kidnapped at Awi, Akamkpa, Cross River State. On 15th May, 2015, a four-year-old child was kidnapped at Akamkpa, Cross River State and a 2 and a half year old child was also kidnapped at Idang, Calabar South. In April, 2015 a four-year old child was kidnapped at 8 mile axis of Calabar.
“Other cases include, a one-and-a half year old child who was kidnapped in May, 2015 after the kidnappers had lured the child’s mother to Aba, Abia State under the pretence of giving her a job. Again, in April, 2015 a seven-year-old child was kidnapped at Ambo Street, Calabar South. Another seven-year old child was kidnapped in April, 2015 at Idang, Calabar South.”
My final take: I am ordinarily not a fan of death sentence because if a mistake is made it can never be remedied. An innocent man can be killed due to judicial error. Ayade should ensure due diligence so that an innocent man is not killed.
Super Eagles Captain and goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama, who just lost his mother has exclusively told us that he can not be “Fighting” his superiors, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) as well as the Super Eagles coaches with his late mom yet to be committed to mother earth and while he is still yet to come to terms with the turn of event.
Enyeama, Eagles most capped player ever with 101 international caps over the past weekend lost his mother and revealed that he was completely devastated but that he called coach Sunday Oliseh as well as Team Secretary Enebi Dayo Achor to tell them of the development.
His words:
“I was completely devastated on hearing of the death of my mum that my mind went blank, it was totally unexpected.I immediately told my coach at LILLE and he informed the club management and they immediately called me to sympathise with me. I also called up coach Sunday Oliseh to tell him about it and I also called Dayo Enebi to tell him about my situation that I am not really sure I am strong enough to make the game.
“I asked Dayo to tell the NFF President, Pinnick and he said no since we didn’t want to disclose the situation but I could not call new goalkeeper coach Alloy Agu because I do not have his number. I communicated with them as they tried to persuade me to come and I guess that was when they bought my flight ticket to Nigeria but eventually I could not make it.”
“My mind can’t just make it, this is a crucial game and I am not psychologically strong enough and can’t jeopardise our chances. How can I be fighting my superiors when the body of my mum is still cold, these things don’t happen to you daily, its not a normal challenge. I thought I have notified those I am supposed to because that was the normal procedure.
“We deal with the coaches so it’s not about calling the federation president but informing your coaches. I am sorry for what ever inconveniences all these might have caused but right now football is the last thing on my mind, losing my mum is the worst thing to have ever happened to my life and I have never travelled this road before, I am too sure that my commitment to Nigeria is 100 per cent and I respect my superiors,’” said Enyeama.
Popular singing duo, Peter and Paul Okoye of the P-Square fame, their assistant manager and Joseph Ameh, who is their official drummer, escaped death along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway over the weekend.
This unfortunate incident occurred on their way back from a show in Ibadan when a lorry hit their car, dragging them along for about 12 seconds. Peter Okoye made the revelation on his Instagram page, saying; “Fans pls help us thank God. Myself @rudeboypsquare @papiijameh and our assistant manager @wandoskie had an accident early hours of today on our way back from a show in ibadan. Along Lagos/Ibadan express road. A Lorry hit and dragged us for over 12 seconds. But Our Lord and Our God is always faithful and quick to show Mercy. Thank God we survived.#ThankYouLord.”
The twin brothers are known for churning out hit songs since they gained stardom over a decade ago. Only recently, they emerged the Artistes of the Decade and Best Group at the MTV Africa Music Awards held in South Africa.
There was pandemonium Monday at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) over the mysterious death of Miss Kelechi Precious, a 200 level student of Theatre Art and Film Study who was said to have collapsed at her hostel bathroom and died after the University Teaching Hospital rejected her for lack of space.
Angered by the inability of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) to save the victim’s life instead of rejecting her on the excuse of lack of space, the students led by the Student Union Government (SUG) of the University went into protest, locking all the entrance gates to the school.
They also blocked the popular East-West road, including Ada-George Road and UNIPORT Aluu road leading to a serious traffic jam. Some of the school properties were also vandalized by the angry protesters who were chanting war song accusing UPTH of being responsible for the death of the victim.
As at the time of filing this report, the management of UPTH has started discharging patients at the hospital following the protest at the hospital leading to breakdown of law and order.
Some of the students who spoke to The Nation including SUG President accused the management of UPTH of killing their colleague for not giving her preference as student of the university in spite the lack of space complained about.
UNIPORT SUG President, Comrade Chuku Endwell said, the management of UPTH has failed the students, adding that for testing the anger of the students and for showing insensitivity over their life of one of them, the school at the moment will remain under lock.
Chuku said, “this is not college of Education, it is not a polytechnic or a secondary school, it is the famous university in the black Africa. The students were the reason for the establishment of UPTH, I don’t know why a student will be taking to the hospital and he or she would be rejected.
“This shows that our lives are no longer safe, by the Grace of God, SUG has summoned a meeting of all those concern and before the end of today we will reach a compromise especially the safety of our lives as students. If there is any one that should be giving a priority in the UPTH it is the students of UNIPORT.”
Narrating how the victim died, her closet roommate Miss Kainti Dauebimoere said; “She is in the same department with me and a roommate; we slept on the same bed on Sunday morning. We both woke up almost the same time, she went in to have her bath but later I heard a voice screaming.
“Then, I ran into the bathroom to know what was wrong with her but I saw her on the floor behaving like an asthmatic patient. Then, I ran back to the room to call other roommates. That was how we got a car around 5:45 am to take her to UPTH at accident and emergency ward. But the doctors who were there said there was no bed space. We pleaded that we are going to use the car as her bed, but they refused.
“When we discovered that the UPTH was not able to assist we took her to fountain hospital at Ozuoba, the doctor there told us that we should look for her relative. He then directed us to take her back to the UPTH but we told him that we are just coming from there. We were again directed to Ebonyi Hospital where the doctor confirmed that there was no live in her.
“Then we took her to Military hospital, when we got there they said she died three hours ago, but they advice us to make an entry to any police station. After making an entry at Choba Police station, we took her corpse to UPTH mortuary. The management of UPTH who said there was no space now accepted her corpse at their mortuary.”
Responding, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital Prof. Aaron Ajule said there was no space when the victim was brought to the hospital, noting that the hospital cannot reject an outsider not to talk of a student of the university.
“It was not an issue of reject; we cannot reject any body outside the campus not to talk of 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 information I am giving you now is still going to be investigated and confirmed, we have setup 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.”
Two weeks after an Ogoni bus driver was murdered by a police officer attached to Kala Police Station in Mile 4 for refusing to give N100 bribe, another man, Chukwuemaka Igbe, a resident of Elechi waterfront, was last weekend made to jump to his death by officers from Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) .
Angered by the third extra-judicial killing in the area, the residents of the waterfront took the victim’s body from Elechi waterfront at Mile 1 to the Rivers State Government House where they presented their grievance to Governor Nyesom Wike.
The residents of the waterfront said the victim died while trying to escape the bullet of the officers from SARS who stormed the waterfront shooting.
“When they started shooting, about four men ran away and they started pursing them until they jumped inside the water but the man who died did not know how to swim. With the sound of the gun, he was scared and entered the deep part of the water and died,” the community chairman, Mr. Harrison Lawson said.
Elechi beach settlement, which is popularly called waterfront community, is one of the seashore settlements which escaped the waterfront demolition policy of the immediate past administration of Rotimi Amaechi. The former governor, who demolished most of the waterfronts in Port Harcourt, described them as hideouts for criminals. Elechi beach linked Njemaze water to Abonima wolf and it is one of the oldest waterfronts in Rivers State.
A visit to Elechi waterfront showed that the people are living in a different world. Every ten person you see, eight of them are smoking Indian hemp. You need not be told that you are in a jungle when you get there. They have a very poor hygienic environment; the buildings are mostly wood materials. The toilets were constructed with wood close to seashore and it is being channeled to the same water which they drink, bath and cook with.
They do not have enough space for children to play; the available wet and dirty space is the only children playing ground where they also dump waste.
Speaking further on how the police have been terrorising the residents of waterfront, Harrison said police officers have been using Indian hemp as an excuse to humiliate residents of the waterfront.
He said illegal extortion on residents of waterfront started when one officer from Mile 1 police station known as Paulo now with SARS introduced other officers to the waterfront when they discovered that they were making a lot of money from them through forceful collection of money and illegal bail.
He said: “The police have became more dangerous to us. Every day they are coming here to chase people around in the name of Indian hemp. If they are looking for the smokers of Indian hemp, they should go to the rich man’s house and not here. We are poor smokers, how many of these boys have the money to smoke. They chased the late Chukwuemeka until he jumped inside the water. Tell me who will hear the sound of gun that would not run.
“The late Chukwuemeka’s body could not be found until after three days when the river floated it out. It was at this point that we confirmed his death. Police said they didn’t shoot him, they alleged that the man jumped inside the water and drown, but we have eyewitnesses who saw them shooting and chasing the man until he jumped inside the water. The resident who saw them pursing the man specifically told the police that the victim did not know how to swim but they refused and continue threatening the man with gun until he jumped inside the river and died and they said they have no hand.
“They are not coming here for anything than to generate money from the residents of waterfront in the name of searching for Indian hemp smokers. We have warned them severally that if it was the Indian hemp smokers they are targeting they should look for them because a lot of people are living here. Everybody cannot be a criminal or Indian hemp smoker, as far as we are concerned we also have responsible people living here.”
“The worst thing is that whenever they enter here, they will start shooting and it is only a tree that will remain in one place when shooting is taking place. So, whenever the police come around to shoot, the boys will take off and they will pursue them as if they are criminals. Sometimes, the officers will enter here early morning to knock on people’s door and as soon as you wake up to say who is that the next thing you will here is handcuff him. The funny thing is that when they take us to police station they don’t allow us to write statement. The only thing they do is to force us to bail ourselves which is bad. If you go to work, the police will break into your house, collect handset and cash without telling the person his or her offence. They also come here to smell residents’ hands and mouths and at the end, they will claim that their hands and mouths smell Indian hemp and the person will be arrested.”
Mr. Olanikon Okoneonimim, one of the residents of the waterfront who doubled as the Vice chairman of the waterfront community, said residents of the area were also being arrested based on their dressing.
He said: “They have forgotten so soon how they begged us on the first and second killing before we allowed them to sponsor the burials, showing that they were guilty of the offence. Now, they have killed another person, we will not take it lightly with them this time around. The first person they killed here the man was fixing an electrical wire connected to his house and they saw him and asked him if he is a NEPA man. When the man said no, they dragged him down and killed him. The police authority also visited us and pleaded with us, what have we done to the police. The Police should stop using us to raise fund. This is robbery; police had been robbing us which started with officers called Paulo, Kennedy and Victor from Mile 1 police station. We want the Commissioner of police to know that the police officers coming here are more criminal than the people they are looking for. Here is not a criminal base, all the crimes committed in Port Harcourt happened in upland.”
Godwin Amos, one of the four men who jumped inside the river when the police were allegedly chasing them, said he pleaded with the police to arrest him so that he could rescue the deceased.”We were just relaxing when we heard hold him….hold him and we immediately realised that it was police, so we took off. Of course, in waterfront, you have limited space to run to, because we are surrounded by water. When we ran a few distance and the police were still pursing us, we had no other option than to jump inside the water. But unfortunately, the guy who died was a new neighbour and did not know how to swim. When he got to the point where he should jump inside the water, he stopped and the police was still shooting. Because he didn’t want to be arrested, he followed us and jumped inside the river and he drowned to death. Meanwhile, when the residents who were around saw the police coming they told them that the guy did not know how to swim, they pleaded with them to stop so that the guy would not be threatened to jump inside the water but they didn’t listen to anyone.”
12-year-old Imore Clement, who was fishing at the water when the incident took place, said: “I was getting some fish at the water when I heard a gunshot. I didn’t know they were pursing some residents of waterfront. I thought it was the issue of robbery. The next thing I saw was the boys jumping inside the water, but one of them stopped at the front of the water showing that he did not know how to swim. The residents didn’t close their mouth as they shouted to SARS officers that the man could not swim; yet the officers were seriously shooting until they chased the man inside water. It was few days later that the river floated his body out lifeless.”
The Southsouth General Secretary of the Buhari Legacy Foundation, Comrade Felix God’swill Nkwazema, who visited the waterfront, said the organisation would partner with some human right groups to ensure justice on the matter. He said the police had no right to take the life of anyone, even that of a criminal until the court of law says so.
The Rivers State Police Public Relation Officer, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Ahmad Mohammad, said the police as a responsible organisation would not kill the people they are supposed to protect. “Police as a responsible constitutional agency will not be involved in the killing of the citizens they ought to protect,” he said.
It was a tragic day in Umuahia South Local Government Area Abia State as eleven out of the 35 Persons said to be coming back from a traditional marriage at Osah near the state capital died after their mini bus had a head-on-collision with a truck.
The accident it was gathered happened at 9.00 pm, at a popular luxury bus terminal along the Enugu –Port Harcourt expressway.
The truck marked KUJ824XB, loaded with fertilizer was said to be travelling from Port Harcourt to the Northern part of the country, while the Mini bus, a Mercedes Benz 608, with registration number XM 935 KJA Lagos State left Osah in Umuahia and was heading back to Obehie in Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia state when the two vehicles collided into each other.
It was gathered that the driver of the truck disappeared from the scene immediately the accident occurred.
While the driver of the Mini bus was said to have survived the crash, but others were not fortunate.
Unconfirmed reports have it that nine persons died on Sunday, while two more were said to have died on Monday at a yet to be disclosed hospital.
The accident which was described as one the worst on that road in recent times took efforts of men of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) up to Monday morning to ease traffic congestion on the area as the two vehicles covered the road.
A survivor narrating how the incident happened told Nation that the attention of the driver was called when some of them saw the on-coming truck, but before he could swerve off the road to avoid the truck, the truck had ran into their own vehicle.
The Sector Public Education Officer of Abia State Sector Command, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwosu said that they had to contact Aba to assist them with their towing truck before they were able to clear the express road of the wreckage of the crashed vehicles.
“We first rushed a total of 26 persons to Federal Medical Center for treatment before making arrangement to move the dead bodies to the mug. We were there throughout the night with the police to avoid more crashes until this morning when we had made sure that we had cleared the wreckage from the road,” he said.
Nwosu lamented the issue of lack of operational vehicles and towing trucks and ambulances at the Abia sector Command stating that the only one they have in the state is stationed at Aba due to the busy nature of the area.
According to him, the Sector had written to the state government several times for assistance, but that whenever they are giving out vehicles, they only give to other arms of the security agencies like the police and army but don’t consider them at all.
He explained that if they had ambulance, it would have been easier to move both the dead and the living as they find it hard to work under their present condition.
