Idongesit Ashameri

IMG-20160419-WA0001A widow, Mercy David Nnah, of Iton Ikono, Uyo Local Government Area, who lost a daughter, Miss Gift David Nnah, age 18, ‎to miscreants in a very mischievous circumstance, has cried out to Wife of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Martha Emmanuel, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Dr Gloria Edet, and other relevant individuals and agencies to come to her aid.
The widow said every effort to get ‎justice through the Nigerian Police have proved abortive, even as the police have exploited her helplessness to extort money from her at every little step of the way.
Mrs. Nnah, a mother of five- including the deceased who lost her husband since 2003 and has single-handedly cared for the children with the proceeds from her Akara business, in a one room rented apartment, said she had to pay N10,000 to the police before she was taken to Ikpatex Mortuary at Ibesikpo, where the daughter was deposited, as well as the spot she was thrown out of Keke.
Narrating her ordeals, the physically depressed and distressed widow said she had repeatedly cautioned her 18 year old daughter who was an SS2 student of Christian Secondary School, Uyo, against association with members of the opposite sex.
She explained that her late daughter had on the day of her death gone out in the evening (without her notice) to get her phone from a male friend who had earlier taken the phone out for repairs.
“late in the evening, around 9pm, a call came through my eldest daughter’s line, with Gift’s (the deceased) phone number, the caller introduced himself as a police officer and asked us to come to Owot Uta Village in Ibesikpo Local Government Area, that my daughter had an accident. It was too late to start going to such an unknown village at that time of the night, every effort to call back that night failed.”

“Early in the morning the next day, we succeeded in calling the number again and we were asked to come to the Police Station. There we met a Keke man whose name was simply given as Ntiense. He claimed that he was hired by three passengers along Aka Road, Uyo, to Ibesikpo, the two male passengers, according to him were unknown but the female was later revealed to have been my daughter.”

“The keke man further told me that he heard someone fell out of the keke as they were going and when he turned to check, he was ordered at gun point ‎to keep moving. He claimed to have branched someone’s house after being overly threatened to park his keke and ran away.” On his return to pick up his tricycle, the landlady of the compound suspected him and raised an alarm which alerted community members who invited and handed him over to the police.”

The bereaved mother said the daughter’s friend, Mr. Simeon Friday who was responsible for a her stepping out of the house that night, claimed they parted ways earlier in the evening, immediately after handing over her phone to her. Friday, according to her, has been remanded in prison custody alongside Ntiense.

The mother, who felt a lack of confidence in whatever the police is so far doing about the death of her daughter, said the same police who earlier advised her to seek an out of court settlement, later charged the case to court and so far, she has lost both understanding of what was going on, as well as the finances to fund further issues as may be demanded by the police or court.

“I live in one room with the children. As I speak with you now, the landlord has asked us to pack out. I lost my husband since 2003 and I have no one to speak for me. I have no money to settle the mortuary bills or buy coffin to bury my daughter,” ‎she lamented

She mentioned that the Doctor who had explained the autopsy ‎result to her at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital said the daughter, as revealed by the report was badly hit with her tongue out before being thrown out of the Tricycle.

Telling her part of the story, an elder sister to the bereaved, Miss Idara David Nnah said “Simeon called my sister to come and get her phone at the junction; we went out together but did not see him there. He later called my sister who went out alone to meet him, only for the police to call so late in the night to talk about accident. I called the guy she went out with and he told me he was equally called and was already there with her. When I met him the next day to move with him to the police station, he said he could not get to where my sister was that night, for fear of being arrested by the police who were all over the area he was directed to. He claimed he had to lie to us so that we may not be overly worried.”

When contacted, the IPO in charge of the case who pleaded anonymity said he was not in position to speak on the matter, but merely mentioned that the murder case which was transferred from Ibesikpo division has been charged to court ‎ and the case file forwarded to the DPP to ascertain whether those in custody have cases to answer or not. “We have advised both parties to embrace peace, but they do not seem to be cordial,” he said.