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Wednesday, 18 August 2010

Ayomide Fowowe recovering on

the sick bed after having his arm amputated.

(Inset): Picture of the arm before the amputation.

Aside from food, clothing and shelter which are the essentials of life for man, security is another variable that is a must have. But how secure are Nigerians? Features Xtra team ponders this question in this report.

Security, an eight-letter word, is what every creature desires. Man as well as the animals in the jungle do not toy with security because the implications of doing so could be catastrophic. In the family, where the man is the head, the man will not be accorded the right respect if he fails to provide adequate security for his family.

In the government circle, the constitution of the Federal Republic confers the responsibility of the chief security officer of a local government area on the local government chairman, that of a state on the governor, and that of the nation on the president. What this implies is that these high political portfolio holders must protect the lives and

property of those in their areas of jurisdiction.

It is, however, unfortunate that many innocent Nigerians have met their untimely deaths through the nefarious activities of criminals. Many promising stars have been untimely plucked from the galaxy by the enemies of security, thus robbing the nation of the invaluable contributions of these people.

It is, therefore, not an understatement to say that Nigeria has lost too many people to the brutality of the criminals within its frontiers.

Seun Okusaga, a responsible family man resident in Abeokuta, set out in the morning of July 27, 2010, in search of daily bread for his family. Little did he know that his departure from home on that fateful morning would be his last, and that he would never be able to wrap his arms around his wife in an emotional embrace again, or have his children run up to welcome him from outings again.

He was in his car, driving to Osiele area of the city, where he had an appointment to collect money for services rendered to an organisation. He never made it to his destination as he met his death at the Eleweeran headquarters of the Nigeria Police in the state. He was trapped in a crossfire between the police and some bandits who had come from Ibadan with the intention to unleash terror on the residents of the city.

Men of the Nigeria Police at the Eleweeran police headquarters, having been alerted of the possible entry of the robbers into the city by their counterparts at the Eleyele head-quarters of the Oyo State command, laid ambush for the robbers on the road. Seun was, however, unfortunate to have appeared on the scene when the two clashed, and he was forever silenced by a stray bullet from one of the parties.

There are many Nigerians who have shared fate similar to Seun Okusaga’s own; so many have been cut down in their prime, many more have been maimed, while so many others have been made orphans, widows, and widowers through no fault of theirs.

Unarguably, these people would not have lost their lives if there had been formidable security machinery in place in Nigeria. It is this inadequacy that has given the criminal room to collaborate to terrorise innocent Nigerians as was the case on July 27, 2010, when about 30 armed men invaded the city of Ibadan to loot banks and other business concerns.

A good fight given to them by men of the Nigeria Police in Ibadan made them to head for Abeokuta to try their luck on the financial institutions therein. The robbers, however, got more than they bargained for as they were also strongly repelled in Abeokuta by men of the Nigeria Police in the state. Although they failed to achieve their original goal, their outing did not fail to produce unsavoury results as they left some death and injuries in their wake, plunging some families into sorrow.

For many residents of Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State, Tuesday, 27 July, 2010, will forever remain indelible in their minds. Residents woke up to the news that heavily armed robbers had besieged the city. Their operation was said to have begun at the Apata end of the city.

The robbers wrought havoc in many parts of the city, notably among which were Alakere Layout on the expressway, Iwo Road and at the popular plank section of the Bodija Market. It was reported that, at Bodija Market, a man who had a large sum of money on him had been shot in the head, killing him instantly.

The man was said to have been making a call on his mobile phone, and the robbers, assuming he was alerting the police, shot him dead.

According to reports, the police were said to have given the robbers a hot chase on the express way. In their bid to escape, they sped into Alakere Layout, where they linked Wema area on New Ife Road.

During the exchange of fire with the police, a stray bullet was said to have hit a two-year-old boy strapped to his mother’s back. The baby died instantly.

The father of the child, Mr. Taiwo Adegbodu, a gospel artist, confirmed the incident to Features Xtra, but the mother was not yet in the right frame of mind to recount how the incident took place as at the time of filing this report.

Another person that got a piece of the bitter pill was a 15-year-old, Ayomide Fowowe. He was also hit by a stray bullet from the robbers. Although he did not die as the bullet hit him in his right arm, he eventually lost the arm because it was too badly damaged.

Recounting Ayomide’s ordeal to Features Xtra, Ebenezer Oyewole, a boutique operator, said the boy is an SS 2 student of St. Lawrence Grammar School, Ilesha, Osun State, and had come to spend his holiday with him. He said that the boy was assisting him at his Iwo Road shop when the stray bullet hit him.

He was rushed to Molly Specialist Hospital, Idi-Ape, for emergency treatment. He was, however, later transferred to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. It was at UCH that they were informed that the arm would have to be cut off to save Ayomide’s life as the damage was beyond repair.

So, on Monday, 9 August, 2010, Ayomide Fowowe had what was left of his right arm surgically removed. He is presently recuperating at the hospital pending when he would be released to go back home.

His parents, Mr. and Mrs Moses Fowowe, both illiterates, who struggle to make a living, now appeal to the general public for help for their son. They have called on the Oyo State government, the Osun State Government, parents and well meaning Nigerians to assist in getting a flexible prosthetic arm for their son so that he can write, eat and do other things that he could do before without assistance.

Mr Tunji Carroll, a businessman, was of the opinion that the high rate of crime and insecurity in the country could be traced to the high level of poverty. He observed that the nation’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few (politicians), while the majority are left with little or nothing.

Carroll further stated that, “our politicians have taken more than enough of our common wealth for themselves, their children and their grand children. This is the reason a single federal legislator has a two-room office with hordes of private workers who draw their salaries from the National Assembly funds, instead of their bosses’ allocations.

Ngozi Obiadi, a post-graduate student of the University of Ibadan, opined that lack of jobs for those that should be gainfully employed is the sole cause of the high rate of insecurity, adding that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop.

She contended that crime rate is low in developed countries because of the social security system which provides the jobless with something to fall back on until they get jobs.

She, therefore, enjoined the government to live up to its responsibilities by ensuring that able-bodied Nigerians had means of livelihood.

According to Dr Ayodele Jegede, a sociologist at the University of Ibadan, crime is a common phenomenon the world over, but it is higher in poor countries because of bad government that does not give issues that affect the people the priority they deserve.

He said when there is unemployment in the land, and the people, especially the youth, are not constructively engaged, they tend to rebel against the normative values of the society. This involves trying to live a life of their own, and this is usually detrimental to the society.

For those who want to assist Ayomide Fowowe financially, donations can be sent to Guaranty Trust Bank, account number: 9024461541590, the account name is Fowowe Esther Biodun.