The Nation Newspaper

Tag: My son

  • ‘My son was not a cultist’

    Chief Imafidon Osia Ehigie, the father of a police sergeant, Monday, killed last week by suspected cultists, has debunked reports that his son was a cultist.

    Monday and two others were killed last Saturday near Namayo junction, Upper Sakpoba in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State while returning home from work.

    He was an orderly to the Chairman of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government, Dr. Eric Osayande.

    Police Commissioner Hakeem Odumosun had said the late Monday was killed fighting alongside one of the rival cults.

    But Imafidon, who expressed shock at the statement of the police boss, said the cultist’s tag on his late son was scathing and inglorious.

    He alleged that Odumosun made the statement to avoid payment of entitlement to a worthy and committed officer, who in the course of duty paid the supreme price.

    Imafidon denied having any meeting with the police commissioner where he confirmed that his son was a cultist, saying he would seek justice at the appropriate time.

    He noted that the assertion of Odumosun was not only obviously lost in between naked lies, but also a dislocation of an official channel of dissemination of verified information from an organised system that upheld professional modalities.

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    Imafidon said his late son had served three presidents of the Ikpoba-Okha Customary Court and was posted to the Ikpoba-Okha Council chairman on the recommendation of the Divisional Police Officer, Ugbekun as an officer attached who served diligently.

    Police sources told our reporter that over 30 persons had been killed at Upper Sokponba since the cult war began two months ago.

    At Upper Siluko Road area, suspected cultists were said to have plucked out the eyes of their victims.

    Youths have been killed in parts of the state.

    Odumosun said several persons had been killed in the cult war.

     

  • Ex-Ondo Dep. governor’s girl: I reported suspect to police, says dad

    Alhaji Alani Adeniyi Alao, the father of Adeyemi Alao, the key suspect in the murder of Khadijat Oluboyo, daughter of immediate past Ondo State Deputy Governor Lasisi Oluboyo, said he handed over his son to the police.

    Alao said he handed the suspect over to the police when his other children reported the shock find of the victim’s body in his son’s room to him.

    But he declined to speak further on the matter.

    The mother of the 27-year-old suspect and three others living in the same compound, where the body was discovered, have gone into hiding for fear of possible arrest, it was gathered.

    One of the neighbours said Adeyemi lived with some tenants in the boys’ quarters of his father’s house where the body of the girl was discovered in a grave inside his room.

    Adeyemi, the first son of the family, had just returned from Abuja where he observed his national youth service before carrying out the suspected killing of his girlfriend, a final year student of the Adekunle Ajasin Univerity (AAU), Akungba- Akoko, last week.

    Adeyemi, 27, is described as a quiet young man who always kept to himself and seldom greeted people.

    The neighbour, who spoke in confidence, added: “Khadijat’s ghost appeared to Mutiu, who is Adeyemi’s brother.

    “It was Mutiu who reported to his father and the father told him to rush to the ‘B’ Division Police Station before Adeyemi was arrested.”

    Adeyemi was said to have dug a grave in his room where he buried Khadijah for six days before he was arrested.

     

  • My son surprised me today, says parent

    Well wishers besieged the Ibeju-Lekki residence of Mr. Monrufu Ramon, father of one of the victims, praising God for the safe return of his son.

    Although he turned down pleas to speak with his son, Ramon told The Nation that the boy did something he had never done before.

    He said:”I know you can, from a far distance, but I cannot allow you speak to my son now. I have not spoken to him either. We were asked to give them time and allow them open up on their own, so I am not going to pressure him into speaking.

    “But I can tell you that he surprised me today. He did something he had never done before. He was the one who woke me from sleep early this morning and he told me he wanted to pray for me.

    “My son prayed for me for over 30 minutes. He has never done that before. After the prayer, he told me to sit down and he asked just two things: he asked me if he would return to Igbonla and then he asked about his result.

    “He also told me he wanted a phone and the second thing he asked was whether he would return to that school.

    “I told him he will have the phone. I told him to not bother about the result for now because he is a brilliant student and the best in his class. He is going to SS3.

    “I know my son and know what he would say. But I would not force him.

    “He is not easily frightened and remember, he was the one who went to protect those who were taken by the kidnappers before he was also kidnapped. For now, I am observing him to see if there are changes.”

    Ramon, who spoke several times with the kidnappers told well wishers that Owoseni has changed his perception of the police.

    “I just want you to help us greet that Police Commissioner Fatai Owoseni and officer Disu. Let the world hear it because they tried for us. They were always with us.

    “They never denied us access. There was no time I couldn’t see them. They went inside the bush to meet with us and address the parents.

    “Even when I called at midnight, they would pick my call.

    “The commissioner usually came to my house at night. Disu visited my house more than 10 times. The two of them really changed my impression of the police. They have human feelings.

    “I was the kidnappers’ contact person and for three days, we (parents) were meeting at Epe. The Commissioner was aware of our meeting and he guided us on every step we took.

    “Before the rescue, Disu came to my house at midnight and we had a meeting just the two of us.

    “He didn’t come with police and he told me that he didn’t want anyone around to know about the meeting so that information would not leak. They always encouraged me and other parents. We need more policemen like them in this country.”

    Ramon said his wife remained in shock and was undergoing treatment for blood pressure.

    “It was a terrible period for my family. My wife isn’t here now because she is still receiving treatment,” he said.

    “The shock hit her terribly. For me, I became a shadow of myself. I fainted in my house and was on admission for days.

    “Because of the shock, I was rushed to the hospital three times. I was not like this before. I lost weight, my body was hot and I couldn’t sleep. Do you know what it means for your first son to be with criminals for that long? My sister, it was not easy o!”

    Ramon’s sister, Tawa, who was seen dancing, told The Nation that life has returned to their family with the teenager’s return.

     

  • She took my son away, claiming I was not the father (1)

    I WAS with a client that afternoon when one of my phones rang. Normally, I don’t pick calls during meetings especially when with a very important client like Chief Eriga.

    But it was my mother calling, so excusing myself, I I took the call. What she told me spoilt my mood for the rest of the day.

    “Sunny, we can’t find Eddy!” she stated urgently. She explained further that my younger sister had gone to the school to take him home, when she was told that his mother had picked him up earlier.

    “Why did the school allow her to go with him? I remember instructing them that no one could pick him except my immediate family members. What kind of thing is that?” I stated furiously.

    Later, as I drove to my mother’s place at Surulere, I kept wondering what Julia, my ex girlfriend and Eddy’s mother was up to. Since she had the boy over eight years ago, she had not shown much interest in him. She had left him with my mother at barely six months old, stating she wanted to return to school to complete her degree programme.

    As it turned out, it was a lie. We learnt that the new man in her life, whom she had moved in with, was not keen on raising another man’s child. So, she had dumped the baby with my mother. For nearly four years, Julia never came to check on her baby or ask after him. Eddy was about five years old when she showed up one day, with the boy looking at her like a stranger, unable to recognise his own mother.

    That became the pattern over the years. She would pop in once in six months or so, then disappear again. What kind of mother did that to her own child?

    A mother like Julia, who cared more about her own desires and needs, whose sole purpose in life seems to be about catching fun and having a good time…

    ***

    Actually, I met Julia in the ultimate fun spot-  a nightclub. I was attracted to her from the start; she was friendly, beautiful and fun loving. That first night we met, she ended up at my house. She was a second year student at the Uni then. We would date for the next two years and it was two wasted years of my life.

    Okay, it was fun at the beginning and I loved her but as time passed, I discovered that being with Julia is like dating the whirlwind- you can’t pin it down. This is a lady with no sense of commitment, of sticking with one man. She had several boyfriends all over the place and she did not even bother to hide them from me.

    Sometimes, she would even bring her man friends to my house when I was away at work or business engagements took me out of town. We had so many fights over this.

    “What is it you are looking for with those guys? I give you everything-money, love, attention. What more do you want?”

    “Is that all there is to life?” she would retort, blowing cigarette smoke in my face.

    I stepped away from her to avoid inhaling the noxious fumes. That was another bone of contention between us- her smoking and drinking habit.

    Julia would wake up in the morning and the first thing she would do is to light a cigarette. Because of her, my house often smelled like a cigarette factory.

    “You had better stop this your smoking or it will kill you one of these days,” I would warn her.

    “A man must die by one thing or the other,” she would rejoin.

    My mother, on noticing some of these traits in her, called me one day and said:

    “Sunny, this girl that has been living with you all this while, what are your plans towards her?”

    “What do you mean, Mama?” I countered.

    “I hope you are not nursing plans to marry her? That girl no be am at all!” she said bluntly in pidgin.

    “What do you have against her, Mama? She’s not that bad once you get to know her well. She’s a nice girl,” I told her.

    “Nice girl? That one that smokes and drinks as if she works in a brewery! Anyway, I’m not surprised considering where you picked her from!” she retorted.

    I assured her not to bother her head about the issue as I was not intending settling down soon with her or any other lady.

    That was until one day I returned home to hear some surprising news from Julia…

    To be continued

     

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  • ‘My son really misses his dad’

    ‘My son really misses his dad’

    The news hit the country like a thunderbolt. It was June 3. A Dana Air plane crashed in Iju-Ishaga, a Lagos suburb. Tears flowed freely. Marriages came to an abrupt end. Children became orphans overnight. The dreams of many were shattered. Hopes also got dimmed. Homes were scattered.

    Since then, days turned into weeks and then into months and months into a year.

    Mrs Tolulope Ochonogor’s husband, the late Ikechukwu, 35, an ex-staff of FEDEX Red Star Express, an international courier firm, was one of the 153 people who died in the crash.

    She told The Nation that the last one year has been trying for her.

    She said: “I chose to believe God’s promise to me because it was Him who had given me all the courage and strength. The last one year has been emotionally tasking for me and my little son. But I thank God for His grace and presence.

    “My family has also been very supportive including my husband’s family too. My church, The Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, and pastors, have not been left out with the spiritual support they all gave me. I must not fail to appreciate my employers who have been very understanding and quite supportive. But looking back to the last one year, I have chosen to trust God wholeheartedly. And truly, He has not failed me. I am a firm believer in God and I take His words seriously. He never fails His own. In addition to that, I am so grateful to my friends, siblings, the extended family, colleagues at work, you all, media men and women, and indeed all concerned Nigerians. Please, help me to say, God bless you all.

    “But my son, Binichukwu, really misses his dad who used to dot on him, but being so young, he has yet to fully grasp the situation. But like I promised at the service of songs last year, I have remained strong for him even though the world of difference between me and the dad remains glaring.”

    On the issue of compensation from Dana Air’s management, she said: “No amount of compensation can bring back my late husband. But the airline had tried to fulfil its obligations though there is still some way to go; that is all I can say on that.

    “But I have truly missed my husband. And the specific things I have missed in him are so many; such as his love, companionship, mentorship, compassion, intelligence, wit, generosity and kindness. Ikechukwu was a bridge-builder within any environment he found himself. He genuinely loved and gave his best. I am at peace, knowing that he is with the Lord. And I wish to tell you that there is no way his death can affect my travelling by air. You know air transportation is part of our modern existence. It is up to the appropriate regulatory authorities to act responsibly and ensure high level of safety in air travel.”

    Chidi Ochonogor, younger brother to the late Ikechukwu, said: “The absence of my late brother in the last one year has left a great vacuum that cannot be explained in words. Just think about what it would be like to have a son, brother and friend for 35 years and then abruptly, he is no longer around. It is more of a psychological trauma because people who have had loved ones stay out of the country without seeing them for years still have peace and joy knowing they are somewhere doing fine. But in our own case, when you don’t see someone knowing his life on earth has come to end, the feeling is entirely different.

    “But, we thank God for his wife and his little son, who is very much my right hand man now. We are still more together as a closely knit family all under God’s care. And you know that little children can be so amazing. Binichukwu clocked three years of age exactly six months after his dad’s passage. We often think they know little, but they know quite much. On July 2, 2012, precisely one month after his dad’s death, he cried seriously asking for the first time for his ‘gaggy’ as he called his father.”