The Nation Newspaper

Tag: died

  • The prince who died fighting

    The prince who died fighting

    Tributes continued yesterday for the gallant officer who died fighting Boko Haram on Friday.

    Unknown to many, Lt.-Col. Muhammad Abu-Ali was a prince whose father is a retired officer. His father is Etsu of Bassa- Nge Kingdom (Kogi State), Brig.-Gen. Abu-Ali (retd.).

    on September 9, 2015, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, visited Gamboru Ngala, which had just been recaptured from Boko Haram terrorists after a fierce battle. He wanted to see things for himself.

    But the COAS had another motive — to personally decorate one of his men, “a war hero, a quiet but fiercely dedicated officer”, Major Abu-Ali —who had been granted an accelerated promotion to Lt.-Colonel.

    Under the cover of darkness, the COAS decorated Abu-Ali, who was surrounded by his men, many of them belonging to what is referred to as “the other rank” with his new rank.  Ali saluted smartly, shook hands with the COAS and saluted again.

    The COAS was lavish in his praise of Lt.-Col. Abu-Ali. He recounted his many brave acts in the war against Boko Haram.

    What followed was one of the most enduring moments in the history of the war against Boko Haram. Lt.-Col. Abu-Ali ran into the waiting arms of his men, who grabbed him and lifted him off the ground. They were shouting and singing.

    This appellation was not bestowed on him for nothing, in the fight against Boko Haram, Lt.-Col. Abu-Ali’s name is written in gold. He participated in every battle, always at the head of his men.

    In early February 2015, the Army faced the arduous task to recapture Baga town from Boko Haram terrorists who had established a Caliphate of the most extreme form of Islam. Baga was a fortress for Boko Haram and any  battalion unsure of itself would merely be on suicide mission if  it tried to regain Baga.

    The Army found solace and courage in a “smallish guy” with the rank of a Major.

    Abu- Ali is an unconventional choice to lead the battle into Baga. If you met him, he would have a lot of explanations to do to convince you he is a soldier.

    Abu- Ali is smallish in stature, with a round and unassuming expression. One cannot but notice his pale skin, big eyeballs and sparse frame. No; Abu Ali cannot be a soldier, one would say.

    So, it was this unusual candidate that led the battle into Baga. It was according to Acting Director Army Public Relations Col. Sani Usman, one of the fiercest battles against Boko Haram.

    But Abu -Ali won the war despite all odds and took back the strategic town.

    Tactical, intelligent, Sophisticated.

    So how did Abu- Ali achieved the impossible? According to several colleagues, journalists, subordinates who spoke to The Nation, Abu- Ali was one of the finest tacticians in the Army.

    “Abu -Ali does not believe only in the quantity of the troops or the numerical strength he believes in tactics,” one said of him.

    Abu -Ali was a tank expert. His philosophy of war modelled the modern realities where emphasis is on equipment than men.

    This was Abu -Ali’s successful strategy in Baga. He used it again when he captured Monguno.

    “ He told us not to worry that we would only need to do five percent of the work, that the remaining 95 percent he would do with tanks,” the soldier told an online medium after the battle.

    Abu -Ali believed that there was no need for “unnecessary loss of lives” when machines could do the job. He was an expert tanker and was said to always lead his men in his own tank. In Baga, he led with the T-72 second generation tank.

    No formation could stand in the way of Abu -Ali and his furious tanks, town after town fell to his superior strategy, courage and determination.

    The fear of Abu -Ali was the beginning of Boko Haram’s wisdom, say many commentators. Referred to as the albatross of Boko Haram, he would drive his tanks against a column of insurgents, destroy their IEDs and save the lives of his soldiers.

    Abu -Ali also conducted many operations against the insurgents deep into Sambisa forest, clearing insurgents camps one after the other.

    Pray, stay alert, stay alive

    Abu- Ali had an uncommon relationship with his officers and men, many of whom hardly speak well of the establishment. In the Operation Lafiya Dole (peace by force) which is responsible for the fight against Boko Haram, Abu-Ali was loved, almost to a fault.

    He not only fought side by side with his men, he was prepared to lay down his life for them. “Pray, stay alert, Stay alive” were his usual charge to his men. He would tell them that if anyone should die, it would be him.

    That was exactly what happened last Friday when it all ended for Abu –Ali.  Abu- Ali and the men of 272 Tank Battalion had done extremely well in curtailing what the army called “remnants of Boko Haram”.

    Mallam Fatori had been a Boko Haram stronghold, but Abu-Ali dislodged the terrorists but intermittently, “remnants” of the insurgents would attack the army’s position.

    On Friday, they came again, this time in large numbers. Sources said Abu-Ali recognised the precarious position he was in and quickly called for reinforcement.

    No one has been able to tell how Abu -Ali died. He reportedly died fighting. Four soldiers died with him. Four were injured. Fourteen terrorists died.

    A source said Abu-Ali would have been alive if he had not been devoted to his men. He would not leave them, he would not accept any special treatment or right to live.

    His duty was his life, when colleagues recall his exploits he would assume a furlong look, unable to process why he would be singled out for special recognition.

    Many were stunned when the picture of Abu-Ali’s body arrived from the war front in a body bag, flown in an Air Force helicopter. A parade of soldiers saluting the body as it was wheeled past. It was a touching spectacle.

    A nation mourns

    On the day Abu-Ali died, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello was one of the first to commiserate with the military and his family. Ali’s death was a big loss to th state (he was and indegene) and  the Etsu of Bassa-Nge Kingdom.

    Bello said: “He was a gallant officer who served the nation with his all and paid the supreme price by laying down his life for the peace of the country. He will be remembered for his sacrifice and  commitment to the cause of the Nigerian Army to rid the country of insurgency which has been a source of concern to every one.

    “Kogi State and indeed Nigerians will never forget your gallantry as you led a team of the Nigerian Army to recapture Baga from the control of terrorists and you died while in active service, gallant soldier.”

    The tributes poured in from those who knew him and those who did not. It is impossible to measure in words the outpouring of grief and anger which enveloped the nation at Abu-Ali’s death.

    Acting Director, Defence Information, Brig.-General Rabe Abubakar, told The Nation: “Ali served his country very well to the extent of sacrificing his life for his dear country. He said it is better for him to die than  lose his subordinates. Very courageous, quiet but focused  and highly professional and intelligent. The Nigerian military in general and Nigerian Army in particular  will miss him.”

    Defence Minister Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali described  the death of  Abu-Ali as “tragic and unfortunate”.

    In a press release made available to The Nation, he prayed God to grant the war hero eternal rest.

    “Defence Minster describes Lt.-Col. Abu-Ali  as a major pillar in the war against terrorism and insurgency in the Northeast. He also expresses his condolences to the father of the deceased,  Etsu of Bassa- Nge Kingdom (Kogi State), Brig.-Gen. Abu-Ali (retd), his young family and the Nigerian Army,” the statement read.

    The late Lt.-Col. Abu -Ali would be given a hero’s burial today, but it will be a celebration of his short life, of his dedication, commitment and love for fellow human. He left behind his father, Brig. Gen. Abu-Ali (rtd), the Etsu of Bassa-Nge, a young wife and three children.

     

  • Govt: how he died

    The Lagos State Government yesterday explained the circumstances that led to the death of a hawker at the Maryland Independence Tunnel.

    A statement by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, said the hawker was hit by a truck belonging to a soft drink company.

    “It wasn’t any of our buses that killed him (hawker), it was a soft drink company truck that unfortunately crushed the boy while he was trying to escape from KAI officers who were on patrol trying to rid the street of street hawkers and traders. But hoodlums now took advantage of that to start destroying government assets, including several of the brand new BRT buses,” he said.

    Ayorinde said the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) brought the situation under control before the body was taken to the morgue at the Ikeja General Hospital.

    He said three persons alleged to be part of the mob who destroyed the BRT buses have been arrested, adding: “The government will like to use this opportunity to further reiterate that it would not relent in ridding the state of illegality, street trading and hawking.”

    Ayorinde said Section 1 of the Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law 2003, restricts street trading and hawking; while Sections 7 and 8 give jurisdiction and power to the special court to order the seizure and public auction of items impounded from street traders.

    Section 10, he said, prescribes a N5000 fine or three months imprisonment upon conviction.

    “Street traders are hereby urged to desist from this illegal activity because the government will not be blackmailed and will do that which is necessary. And for the miscreants and hoodlums, the government and the Police Command will not allow any act of civil disobedience and those arrested will be dealt with in accordance with the law and further arrests will be made as investigation continues,” the commissioner said.

  • The baby died

    This baby gave us enough time to intervene but it’s unfortunate that we lost her when arrangements had been concluded for her surgery.”  The speaker was Dr. Pius Simon, the Consultant Neonatologist who was managing the baby called Aisha before she died. The baby born with her heart outside her chest died on June 14 at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Borno State.

    It was tragic enough that Aisha died. It was even more tragic that she died while waiting for a heart surgery.  A report quoted Dr. Simon as saying that Aisha died of infection because her heart had stayed outside the chest wall for too long.

    Before she died, a report said Dr. Simon “did voice his fears for her survival due to the continued exposure of the heart, more so that she was delivered at home and brought to UMTH three days later, hence increasing the chances of infection”.  The doctor reportedly said that the surgery should have been done “within four to six hours after delivery”.

    Aisha was admitted at the neonatology centre of the Pediatric Unit of the UMTH three days after her birth in Gonigori in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State. Following the baby’s death, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Council of UMTH, Dr. Mohammed Bashir, made some important clarifications.

    Dr. Bashir said:  ”The First Lady Aisha Buhari did not donate any cash through us (UMTH) to the baby. What she was planning to do was to fly the baby to Ghana for a surgery.” He also said: “It was the N2.5m that Yobe State Government gave that we started making arrangement to take the baby to Enugu when she gave up. I am surprised to hear that the First Lady donated N3m for the surgery of the baby. I want to make it categorically clear that we didn’t receive that money here.”

    However, certain things remain unclarified. If Aisha got to UMTH three days after she was born on June 5, why was she still waiting for the critical operation at the time she died on June 14?  Could the operation have been performed in Nigeria? Why was Ghana an option?

    Aisha’s lamentable death is yet another grim reminder of the inexcusable inadequacies of the country’s health care system. There was enough time for a surgical intervention, which did not happen before she died. Those who allowed her to die without the needed intervention should hang their heads in shame.

  • How my aunt died, by niece

    How my aunt died, by niece

    THE last may not have been heard about how an expectant mother, Mrs Vivienne Wilfred, died on March 16.

    Her niece, Perpetual Uchewuako, whose identity led to a quarrel between her and the Udomadu family, yesterday relived how the incident happened.

    The result of the DNA on Uchewuako, who Mrs Chiwendu Udomadu is claiming to be her daughter, is expected to be read in court on Monday.

    Claiming she saw her aunt being brought out of the cell at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) at Panti, Yaba, Lagos Mainland, Uchewuako said: “They detained my aunty (Vivienne). They put her in a cell. I saw them put her there. So when they put her there, my uncle (Solomon Wilfred) was worried. He now went to meet the woman upstairs that they should release her because she needs to go and take her drugs and she was not feeling too well.”

    She said on March 7, she was at the Arena Shopping Mall in Oshodi with Mrs. Usman, the woman she learnt hairdressing from, when Chinemerem Udomadu called out: “Osinachi”, claiming that “I am her missing sister”.

    “A girl came and stood at my back, claiming that I was her sister, but I told her I was not the one. She called her sister’s name, held my cloth and said I was the one. I told her I was not the one. So the woman I was with turned and asked her what the problem was.

    “She said this is her sister that has been lost, and she has not found her. The woman told her I was not the one, so she held my cloth and was insisting,” Uchewuako said.

    The Nation learnt that Chinemerem’s insistence that her sister had a mark on her back led to Uchewuako being undressed to check if she had such mark.

    Chinemerem left after such mark was not found on Uchewuako.

    Uchewuako added: “On March 11, Mrs. Usman returned to the market to warn Chinemerem against her action.  Chinemerem still insisted that I am her missing sister; she later called her mother Mrs Chinwendu Udomadu to come to Lagos because her missing sister had been found.

    “Mrs Udomadu came to Lagos from Imo state. On reaching the Arena, a huge argument ensued, which led to all of us being moved to the police station.”

    At the police station, the Wilfreds were asked for proof that Uchewuako is under their guidance.

    Her parents Anthony and Florence Uchewuako came to Lagos on March 16 and told the police that their child is under the Wilfred’s care.

    Mrs Uchewuako told The Nation yesterday that she was unhappy when she received a call that someone was laying claim to being her daughter’s mother.

    “When I heard that someone was claiming ownership of my daughter, I was not happy; my daughter has been living with Vivienne since 2015. Before she started living with her (Vivienne), she was living with Gladys (Vivienne’s mum) until she died last year.

    “After the burial, I was told on phone that Perpetual will go back to them. I asked them why, they said they love Perpetual and want her to continue living with them,” Mrs Uchewuako said.

  • And poor Joan died!

     

    If the furor generated by the conduct of the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME has abated, the family of Emmanuel Egemba, a retired assistant superintendent of the Nigerian Customs will for long, nurse the bruises inflicted by that singular exercise on them.

    The predicament of the Egemba’s has nothing to do with the regular complaints that marred the examination in many centers: malfunctioning computers, multiple results as evident in the disparities between results received through text messages and computer printouts, inability to take the exams and inappropriate loading of questions among others.

    Theirs, was the cruel fate that befell their 20 year old daughter, Joan scheduled to write the exams at a center far from her family residence but abducted and murdered by suspected rapists as she made for her center on the eve of the test billed to commence by 6.30am.  Accounts have it that the poor girl who lived at the Odo Eran, Sango Otta area of Ogun state, in a bid to meet up with the 6.30 am exam time, left her home for the center at the National Open University center at Awa Ijebu on the eve of her exam date.

    Apparently because of her family’s anticipated difficulties in meeting up with the 6.30 exam time given the distance, she was encouraged by her parents to go a day before and possibly pass the night at the exam center. That decision turned out the greatest mistake the family will ever live to regret.

    According to reports, when Joan eventually arrived at the center that evening, the security man at the gate initially refused to open the gate for her and some other candidates who had also arrived there because of anticipated difficulties in meeting up with time were they to set out on the morning of the test.  Joan was later to speak with her father around 7pm that the security man had eventually allowed them entry into the center to pass the night there.

    From then, things went awry. Subsequent attempts by her father to speak with her on phone failed as it was switched off. A search conducted a few days after she was supposed to have written the exams, resulted in the discovery of the strangulated body of the poor girl. The manner she was killed suggested she might have been strangled by suspected rapists as she resisted the assault on her. Her body was discovered at Ijebu Igbo following information received at a building beside her exam center that a girl was kidnapped around the area on that fateful night. Ironically, the security man who allegedly opened the gate of the center for the candidates denied knowledge of the fate of the poor girl.

    To make matters worse for the Egemba’s, reports lodged at the police station in the area were not attended to as the divisional police officer at Awa Ijebu was said not to have acted on the matter four days after the report was lodged in his office. And that has turned out the uncanny fate of the young lady whose thirst for higher education led her to opt to sleep in an unfriendly environment in order to meet up with her exam time schedule.

    For now, the Egemba family is in dire distress. They are devastated and full of regrets on the circumstances that led to the premature killing of their daughter. So many ideas would have by now been running through their minds. They will have to come to terms with the propriety of their decision to allow their daughter proceed to the center without any arrangement as to how she would be accommodated that night.

    Had they anticipated the outcome of that decision, they would have preferred the life of their daughter to UTME exam that has brought in its trail sadness, sorrow and awe. But they did not have that premonition. Neither did they anticipate such impending calamity. They may have underestimated the level of criminality in the Nigerian society today such that gave them the comfort of mind that their daughter was not being exposed to a huge danger.

    They may also have been constrained by other circumstances to arrive at that painful decision. But the worst has happened that will leave sour memories in the hearts of the entire family. It is a very unfortunate and heart-rending story.  My heart goes to the family at this trying moment. The Egemba’s are not alone in this predicament arising from the curious scheduling of the UTME exams by 6.30 for some of the candidates. Given the constraints posed by limited exam centers, many candidates found themselves posted to centers far away from their places of abode. Those of them who had schedules very early in the morning, had to make sundry arrangements to ensure they do not miss out given the difficulty in hitting the centers on time were they to take off from their homes.

    Joan was a typical case of one of those candidates. Had her exam not been scheduled that early, the cruel fate that has befallen her would have been avoided. There are other candidates that suffered serious risks and inconveniences on account of the early morning examination schedule. But Joan’s case has perhaps, turned the worst of such sad encounters.

    This writer was in one of the exam centers in the first two days of the exercise with his son who was billed to write the exam by 9.30 am in nearby Ogun state. Though we arrived at the center around 7am since we could not predict Lagos traffic, the exam did not start until two hours after the scheduled time. As I was waiting for my son to finish the exam which eventually ended around 4 pm, I had sufficient time to interact with the army of parents who accompanied their children to the exams.

    I can recall very vividly that as we waited and got tired hanging around, some of the parents lamented that during their time they went for similar exams unaccompanied. One of them even suggested that children of today are over pampered by their parents. But another objected to that suggestion.

    She said things have since changed and those who accompany their children to the centers do so for fear that harm may come their way. She said she had two children writing the exams that morning and that they had to drop and pick them one after another for their safety.

    Many of the discussants concurred that things have changed and it is better to be sure of the safety of your children. To them, any sacrifice made for the safety of the children is worth the trouble especially with the spate of armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism and sundry criminalities. With similar discussions, we were able to ward off the boredom of having to wait for our children for more than nine hours. But if some of us had the privilege of ferrying our children to the exam centers, it is not so for so many families as Joan’s case has shown.

    One could therefore imagine how those parents who were part of the above discussion will feel on learning of the fate of the Egemba’s. All the fears they expressed were after all, not unfounded. We have seen how the criminally minded cashed in on the predicament of the poor lady to snuff life out her. What a sad way to die. We commiserate with Joan’s family on this sad incident and urge the law enforcement agents to do all within their powers to track down the culprits.

    In this task, the security man at the center will have useful information on all that transpired that night. It is also sad that the police did not act quickly when information on the missing girl was reported to them. The Ogun police command must swing into quick action to unravel the circumstances behind the dastardly act.

    Beyond this however, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board JAMB has vicarious responsibility in the matter for scheduling exams as early as 6.30 am. In the face of a poor transportation system in the country, acute fuel shortages and mounting insecurity, asking candidates to arrive at the exam centers by that hour is to say the least, very inconsiderate. In subsequent arrangements, the board must do away with the idea of scheduling exams that early. That way, the sad fate that befell Joan will not repeat itself.

     

     

  • “I almost died on my way to an event”- Artiste SB

    “I almost died on my way to an event”- Artiste SB

    Nigerian singer Seun Bankole, aka SB Live has so much to thank God for in the new year, following a fatal accident involving a truck that collided with his Armada Platinum jeep along Osborne road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    According to the ‘Gbemileke’ crooner who is yet to recover fully from the accident, it was indeed a miracle how he was saved, as the truck, belonging to Ark Insurance Group smashed his car.

    “I got out of the car with shaky legs and when I saw my car I was speechless, my first instinct was to thank God for my life and my co-occupants. Governor Ambode who incidentally was passing by couldn’t help but stop to see if the occupants of my car survived.”

    The driver of the truck that was also conveying nine full grown horses was alleged to be oozing of alcohol when he exited the barely scratched truck.

    Speaking on his damaged car, Bankole exuded confidence that the management of the Insurance company, who is also the owner of the said truck will live up to its mantra and do the needful in replacing the damaged car as experts have confirmed that the car was damaged beyond repair.

    “I am not a believer of Insurance companies, but I am willing to trust that Ark Insurance will give me a reason to trust again, the third party insurance of the truck should cover a large percentage of the damaged car,” SB explained.

  • And the nurse died!

    I was in the office of one of the mobile telephone providers last Tuesday to recharge my modem when the phone of the officer attending to me rang. When she picked the call, I noticed a quick change in her countenance. Then I heard her exclaim – Fourth Avenue and bank robbery. From her responses, it became obvious that something sinister had happened. I then began to figure out which part of Lagos is numbered in the form of second, third and fourth avenues etc. Before I could reach a conclusion, she had ended the conversation.

    Then looking at those seated before her, she said a very serious robbery involving two banks had just taken place within the FESTAC area. Surprisingly, the customer seated next to me corroborated the story with his own chilling account of the escapades of the daring armed robbers.  He said scores of heavily armed robbers dressed in both military and police uniforms invaded the banks and were about to attack the third one when they aborted the plan apparently after receiving some signals.

    He said the robbers shot sporadically in all directions and operated for more than one hour without challenge from the law enforcement agencies. But he was quick to add that there was not much the police could do in the circumstance given the numerical strength of the robbers and their sophistication in arms. To this, one then quipped that there are other strategies open to the law enforcement agencies if they discovered they could not confront the robbers head on for one reason or the other. All seemed to have agreed on this point. We shall return to it shortly.

    When we enquired whether there were casualties, the responses we got were not certain. However, before we left that office, there seemed to have been a consensus that these dare-devil robberies are getting out of control and something urgent and radical has to be done before they reduce Lagos to the Hobbesian state of nature- where life will at once become nasty, short and brutish.

    Throughout the rest of the day, there were varying accounts of the incident with much of the blame heaped at the doorsteps of the police for their seeming helplessness while the attack lasted. But full details of the encounter which were carried by the media did not differ substantially. Part of those details was the killing of a nurse Mrs. Jane Ndirika, and her 14-month old daughter, Mmesoma.

    Reports had it that Jane and her daughter were in their apartment in an adjoining building when bullets fired by the bandits in a staccato fashion hit them. The woman was said to have taken cover in her apartment when the shooting became very unbearable but had to rise on her feet when her daughter in the room began to wail apparently because of the menacing sounds of the robbers’ gun power.

    As she collected her daughter and made for the parlour, she was hit by bullets which eventually killed both of them. There were other unconfirmed reports of casualties but the brutal murder of the Ndirika’s right inside their house was the most chilling and devastating. Their situation was worsened when help did not come on time. Those who dared to venture, kept off for fear of being killed by the robbers who were in action for a very long time. By the time they concluded their evil mission, the woman had lost so much blood and died before help could come. What a pity!

    We have since learnt from the police that they confronted the bandits and recovered N27 million which the robbers abandoned while fleeing. The police said without their intervention, the casualty figure would have been higher, apparently to correct the impression that they did nothing while the broad day robbery lasted. They have also promised to adopt eclectic strategies to apprehend the bandits.

    There are other constructs by the police as to their efforts to confront the robbers. We have heard that they contacted both the Air Force and the Navy without getting assistance for one excuse or the other. Neither of the two agencies has joined issues with the police.

    They are entitled to their views. But the value of their intervention was mortally diminished by the long period the bandits operated without any visible challenge. It raises issues as to the options they should have availed while the operation lasted irrespective of the numerical strength and sophistication in armament of the robbers.

    One had thought the first response of the police would have been to cordon off all escape routes and wait to confront the bandits after the operation. Nothing of sort appeared to have happened. The fact that they came through a canal does not reduce the potency of this strategy. Even then, it speaks a lot to the intelligence gathering capacity of our security architecture that as much as 40 people dressed in both police and military uniforms could alight from the canal on boats in broad daylight, without information filtering to the relevant law enforcement operatives.

    No doubt, our law enforcement agencies must have been rattled by the relative ease and impunity with which the robbers operated leaving in their trail, the snuffing out prematurely, of the lives of Nurse Ndirika and her daughter. They have promised to fish the criminals out. We have heard of forensic and other approaches to apprehend the robbers. These could as well be.

    But as we await the outcome of these promises, it may be pertinent to ask why the police never deemed it expedient to activate its helicopters in serious emergencies as this. What of the armoured personnel carriers that are stationed in strategic locations within the city? Why was no effort made to call them into action in a very critical moment the attack represented? This is more so given the emerging trend in armed robbery operations in the city in the last couple of months.

    Before the latest incident, there have been three instances of robbers and kidnappers attacking their victims and escaping through the canals. In three of these instances, banks were their victims. It happened in Lekki, Ikorodu and now FESTAC. Before the latest incident, a senior editor’s home was attacked and his wife abducted by the criminals within the Amuwo-Odofin area. The bandits also came from the canal and when it pleased them to release their captive they dropped her off through the same channel.

    There is therefore an emerging trend in armed robbery in Lagos which our law enforcement agencies must urgently study and evolve counter strategies for. Robbers’ preference for canals or waterways may be an indication of the level of success reached in crime-fighting by our law enforcement agencies on land.

    But a very effective and proactive force would have by now, taken copious notice of the shift in strategy after the three other incidents. This did not seem to have happened as events in the latest robbery clearly indicate. It is not just enough for the police to promise that the culprits will be captured. Since they have admitted that the last attack bore the imprints of similar ones before it, they should put on their thinking caps and evolve counter strategies to make future attacks a very risky enterprise.

    They could as well anticipate and prepare for air confrontation as the robbers may take resort to the air when their success ratio through canals and waterways would have been considerably diminished. In all, we must prepare for the rising sophistication in violent crimes in this country. This way, innocent citizens will be saved the unfortunate fate of Jane and her daughter. May their souls rest in peace!

  • ‘How our member died’

    Leading Islamic sect, Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria yesterday confirmed that two of its members died in last month’s Hajj stampede; one is missing.

    Chairman, ADSON Travels and Tours Limited, Dr Hassan Aladesawe said the dead pilgrims were a man, Imam Rasheed Ajao Quadri, and a woman.

    He said the woman’s name would be released after briefing her family.

    Dr Aladesawe said the late Imam Quadri told a fellow pilgrim that he lost his sandals while going for stoning.

    “He returned to where they were selling goods along the Jamrat area to buy another sandals and that was where he was trapped alongside others in the stampede. We pray Allah forgives him and those that lost their lives,” he said.

    Jamatul Islamiyyah Society of Nigeria National President Alhaji Taofeek Agbaje enjoined family and well-wishers of the dead pilgrims to thank Allah for them.

    “Anybody that completed the Arafat aspect of Hajj exercise has all the sins cleansed. He is like a new born baby that is free of sin. When Allah takes away such soul, Al-Jannah is already awaits that person. That’s why we should thank Allah for those that lost their lives in the stampede,” Alhaji Agbaje, an architect said.

  • How UNILAG girl died, by sister

    How UNILAG girl died, by sister

    Uju Anekwe, sister of the 300-level Accounting student of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) who was electrocuted last Tuesday, relived at the weekend the last moments of her sister, Oluchi.

    They were together during the incident in Akoka, the university campus. Uju is a 200-level student of Medicine in the university.

    Their father, Basil, recalled how he received the tragic news.

    Uju, who was injured in the incident, came down from the family’s apartment with her friend. She walked gently, limping on her left leg. She had bruises below her nose and on her right arm.

    She said: “It had been long that I visited her on Akoka campus, since I moved to the College of Medicine in Idi-Araba. That Tuesday, I visited her and she told me to meet her at the University Chapel, because she was attending a Catholic mass. I saw her bag full of books. She was supposed to write ICAN exam next week.

    “We left the chapel to New Hall to buy popcorn. When we got there, the vendor was reparing the popcorn machine. We told him we would come back. We stopped nearby the popcorn vendor to buy 3-in-1 bracelets. Then, I told her to let us wait for the popcorn but she said she was going back to church for Catholic students’ meeting. It was a few minutes past 7pm.

    “We came out of New Hall gate and standing on the road. I told her we should go to her room but she was adamant, saying I should give her one of the bracelets that we bought a moment earlier. As I was about opening my bag, I heard a loud bang and we were thrown apart. All I could remember at that moment was that I was shouting and screaming for help.

    “I noticed electric sparks of white blue light. It all happened within microseconds. I initially lost consciousness. When I regained my consciousness, I saw people running away from us. I tried to stand up but I could not, because I was still feeling electrical shock in my body. As I turned, I saw my sister (Oluchi) with the electric cable around her leg.

    “I don’t know where I got the energy; I got up and screamed for help. Nobody came to our rescue. One man came later and he single-handedly pulled Oluchi away from the cable. Others came and stopped a taxi and rushed her to the Medical Centre within the campus. I joined another taxi.

    “When we got there, we didn’t receive immediate attention until 30 minutes after. She could have stayed alive a little longer if the doctor had attended to her. The doctor did not even show sympathy and care. They only offered to give me a drip but they left my sister unconscious.

    “As a medical student, I knew my sister needed urgent attention, but the people in the clinic seemed helpless. I told them I would not allow them to give me the drip until they attended to my sister. Later, one of the nurses brought two tablets of Panadol. We stayed for some time before they brought an ambulance to take my sister to LUTH.”

    Uju blamed the school for not providing facilities at the clinic, saying: “The Medical Centre does not even have a toilet roll. What does the school provide for the Medical Centre to cope with emergency?”

    Anekwe, a senior employee at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), said: “Oluchi’s life could have been saved. When they brought out her body, I checked it and I discovered that the only stiff part was Oluchi’s left arm where the electric cable struck her. Every other part was moving freely. And this shows she was left to die because the nurses and doctors, who attended to her, did not know what to do when she was rushed to school clinic and LUTH.”

    On how she learnt about the incident, Anekwe said: “I got a call from my first son, telling me Oluchi was seriously sick. I did not believe him, because Oluchi and her sister came home at the weekend. We all went to church together and she was lively. She returned to school on Sunday and I promised to send N30,000 to her for upkeep.

    “On Tuesday evening, I withdrew the money from ATM, with hope that I would ask somebody to deliver the money to her on Wednesday before I left for work. I got the call from Chinedu, who asked me to come back home, that Oluchi had been admitted. When I got home, Chinedu took me in his car and headed for LUTH.

    “As we entered the LUTH gate, he did not take me to hospital but he drove to mortuary area, where I saw Nkem and my wife’s sisters. I asked what they were doing there, but none of them replied. It was then I knew tragedy had hit my household. The N30,000 I wanted to send to Oluchi was paid at the mortuary. While this was happening, my wife did not know what was going on…”

    Anekwe criticised UNILAG for not equipping its health centre with good facilities and competent medical personnel. He said the late Oluchi was not attended to for more than 20 minutes after she was rushed to the clinic.

    He said: “I was told the doctors were asking for Oluchi’s medical card before she could be attended to. As doctors, are they not to save lives first? If they had attended to my daughter and told me the medical bill is N2 million, I would look for the money and pay it, because her life is more important than money.

    “But, they did not attend to her. No effort was made to revive her and no medical test was conducted on Oluchi before she died. When they wanted to transfer the body to the mortuary, a doctor wrote on a plain sheet and gave Nkem to take the body to the LUTH morgue. Nkem rejected it because the note contained a statement that indicated that Oluchi was brought in dead. This was to cover their inaction that led to the death of my daughter.”

    Although the family accused the UNILAG management of carelessness, Anekwe said there would not be any legal action against the school and Eko Electric Distribution Company (EKEDC) – owners of the cable that fell on the girls. He wondered why the university did not remove the cable after weeks of complaints by students living in the New Hall hostel. He said it was wrong for the school to allow EKEDC to run cables not meant for the hostels across the campus.

    Anekwe said: “We will not take any legal action against the school and the power company that owns the cable. I don’t want any compensation from them. If UNILAG management approaches me for compensation, I will ask them to give me my daughter or go to hell with their money. I don’t want their money; I want my daughter.

    “It would be wrong if UNILAG usually pays compensation for such carelessness. As a parent, I will never accept any offer, whether money or material, from the people who watched my daughter to die. If they are thinking of compensation, let UNILAG use the money to equip its clinic and hire competent medical personnel. The people presently in their clinic are killers.”

  • How my room-mate died’

    How my room-mate died’

    More facts have emerged on how a 200-Level Theatre Art and Film Study student of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Miss Precious Kelechi, died mysteriously on Monday.

    Her room-mate, Kainti Dauebimoere Chant’elle, revealed how her close friend slumped in the hostel bathroom and died after the deceased was rejected by the UNIPORT Teaching Hospital (UPTH).

    Kainti, a 300-Level Theatre Art and Film Study student and the deceased bedmate, narrated: “Precious and I woke up almost at the same time on Monday at 5m. She left the room to have her bath. A few minutes after, I heard her screaming. I ran to the bathroom to know what was wrong with her, but I saw her on the floor, shivering.

    “I rushed back to call other roommates. We got a car at 5:45am to take her to UPTH. When we got to Accident and Emergency section, doctors on duty told us there was no bed space. Our plea to the doctors to admit her fell on deaf ears. Precious was rejected.

    “We left for Fountain Hospital in Ozuoba area. The doctor on duty told us to inform her parents and advised we should take her back to the UPTH. When we told the doctor she was rejected at UPTH, he directed us to Ebonyi Hospital, where Precious was also refused admission.”

    Kainti said: “Then, we rushed her to military hospital, where she was confirmed dead. We were advised to make statement at the Choba Police station, after which the body was taken to UPTH mortuary. The same UPTH management, which said there was no space to accommodate the distressed students, accepted her corpse in their mortuary.”

    Kainti said her friend died because she could not be admitted for medical attention.

    When the news hit the campus, the students, led by the president of Students’ Union Government (SUG), Endwell Chuku, abandoned lecture and blocked the popular East-West Highway to protest Precious’ death.

    They accused the UPTH management of complicity in the death of the late student, criticising the hospital for rejecting a student of the university.

    The UPTH Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof Aaron Ojule, said there was no space when the victim was brought to the hospital, noting that the hospital could not have willfully rejected the late student.

    He said: “We did not reject the late student. We cannot reject anybody, not to talk of the student UNIPORT. But, when the wards are filled, we cannot ask patients to come down from the bed to accept another. We sympathised with the deceased’s family and the university.”

    Meanwhile, normalcy has returned to the campus as students returned to classrooms. The union advised the management to reach agreement with the Teaching Hospital to give students in distress a preferential service anytime they go to the hospital.