BURCANGIJO

By Olatech at Gurufound

I dont know if I should say this is the deadliest Christmas period Ive witnessed...too many deaths.

Just hours to the Yuletide, a family of seven have been reportedly killed in a ghastly motor accident at Taraku within Gwer local government area of Benue state.

An eyewitness said that the victims were being driven in their Toyota car by their father, identified as Mr. Vangeryina Agbose when the accident occurred. He said, “the occupants of the ill fated vehicle were said to be coming from a family farm when the accident occurred.”

He told Vanguard that, “the car which had the man, his wife and five children including a one year old baby were driving from the Taraku Oil Mill road and on reaching the T-Junction he suddenly negotiated into the major highway probably without taking notice of the oncoming Toyota Picnic.

“The entire family members were instantly crushed to death, even their mother and the one year old baby who survived the tragedy later died before getting to the hospital.

“The accident created so much tension in the entire Taraku leading to aggrieved youths taking over the major road and the entire community in protest.

“It took the intervention of law enforcement agency and people of good will who pleaded with the irate youths to allow peace reign.”

Odinaka Ali, a 25 year old woman from Ezilo, in Ishielu Local Goverment of Area of Ebonyi state has been arrested for trying to sell her three children.
The woman has however denied trying to sell her children stating that her arrest was a total frame up and that all she did was to ask the waitress for assistance in paying her house rent. Narrating what happened, she said, “My husband is from Amaekpo Ohafia, Abia State. I and my husband had issues before and we later reconciled. We did not have any problem when he abandoned us in April this year”. When I stayed few weeks I did not see him, I started doing menial jobs with my little children to enable me feed them. I kept doing this till it became so difficult for me to continue it and I decided to return to my village”. I didn’t want to sell my children at the initial time because I passed through caesarian operation before giving birth to all of them. I met a girl who sells food in a restaurant and narrated my problem to her and she promised to assist me. l met the girl before, so she asked me to come to her and wait for a woman who will enter into discussion with me. I waited for the woman and she did not come. I did this three times and I told the girl that I will not come again”. She persuaded me to continue coming and I changed my heart. Before I could notice it, Policemen stormed the place and started asking me what I was doing there and the whereabouts of the three kids I wanted to sell”. I told the policemen that I didn’t want to sell my babies because I gave birth to them through operations. The policemen asked me to follow them to their station and I refused. They immediately invited a policewoman who came and asked me to follow them to the station, that I should obey before complain and I followed them to the station. While in the station, the girl who asked me to come to her said I told her to start looking for who will buy my children.”

Godwin Igwe, head of Child Development Department, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has called on well meaning  individuals to assist the woman take care of the children.

 "The three children and their mother just repatriated from the Enugu Ministry of Gender and Women Affairs to Ebonyi. The woman is from Ishielu local government area of Ebonyi State. When we interviewed her, she said she is finding it very difficult to survive let alone feed her children. She said her purported husband abandoned her and the children in April. She said it was very difficult for her to be carrying the third child of eight months old for menial jobs and she became a wanderer. So, the Enugu state government repatriated her. Her mother is late and the father is very old and has nothing doing. Her major problem is how to eke a living. She said if the government or public spirited individual can assist her, she is ready to take care of her children. If she is allowed to continue to wander in the streets, the children are at risk and if anybody approaches her for the children, she can easily release the children to the person and they will become victims of child trafficking. So, the Enugu government did not repatriate her out of malice or hatred but for safety of the children.” Mr Godwn said

15 suspected members of rival cult groups were arrested in Ede, Osun state, during a reprisal attack. It was gathered that the cultists were allegedly planning to disrupt the Ede day celebration. The suspects have been charged to court.





Photo credit: Mamuda