20022021 - INSECURITY Give us state police now - Govs

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14—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 20, 2021 Sometimes I feel no essence to live on Man who lost wife, three children, everything in Lagos building collapse tells his story after 6 months in coma By Joseph Erunke Even as he tries to conceal the true situation of developments around him,a look at him evokes pity,given that as young as 32,Mr Emmanuel Otache moves around in crutches without shelter and living from hand to mouth. This is certainly not the way he wanted to live life but he has no choice as fate has confined him to that side of life for now. Before October 12,2019,when a building located on top a hill collapsed on his apartment down similar hill at Magodo-Isheri area of Lagos, killing his pregnant wife, two children and a sisterin-law, leaving him in an unconscious state for six months at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital where he was rushed to, Otache was a promising young family man with hope and aspiration. He was a young man with a beautiful family living life without depending on anyone for survival. From Opaha Village in Apa Local Government Area of Benue State, Otache had relocated to Lagos in search of greener pastures and thought luck had shone on him when he was engaged as a staff by a logistics company, Opay Nigeria. On that fateful day, like he had always done, Mr Otache returned to his house after the day’s tedious work. As expected of a good wife, Faith served him food after which she warmed water for him to have his bathe and subsequently go to bed. As she did this, little did the couple know that it would be the last time they would be together on planet earth. Mrs Faith Otache, her two kids identified as Dominion and Daniel died in the building that collapsed during rainfall about 4am on the day while Mr Emmanuel Otache, her husband and father of her children survived narrowly with a life threatening injury. It was late before help could come the way of the victims who were removed from the rubble about 7 am. However, occupants of the building on the plains escaped unhurt. Families, friends, associates as well as residents of Oton Araromi Isheri area of Isheri-Magodo mourned the tragedy. Mrs Faith Otache, her two kids identified as Dominion and Daniel died in the building that collapsed during rainfall about 4am on the day while Mr Emmanuel Otache, her husband and father of her children survived narrowly with a life threatening injury But more than one year after the incident, Mr Emmanuel Otache, the lone survivor who went into coma for about six months recounts a very sad tale of what stripped him of all that he had. The 32 year old Emmanuel Otache, recalled that, “On Friday night of 11 October, 2019,after I came back from work, my wife boiled water for me to bathe and presented me food to eat, I went to bed. Unfortunately, I didn’t know what happened again as I recovered from unconsciousness in the hospital after six months. People told me what happened. “I didn’t really know what happened but was told that it was after heavy rainfall that a building on top the one we were living in with my family, collapsed between 3am and 4am at Magogo, Isheri, killing my children-my wife, children and my wife’s sister. “I was on admission at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital for six months. Within that time, I was abandoned as nobody to care for me except my Church, Lighthouse Outreach Centre that cared for me, helped me and fed me. While he had survived , Otache can’t escape the trauma associated with the horrible development as well as neglect and many other challenges confronting him ahead of life. Whenever I think of my family, I would be quick to pray that death comes my way so I can join them once because I feel I have no essence of living again in this world. But on a second thought, I console myself because of my belief in Jesus Christ that he is the way, the life and the truth. While expressing gratitude to those who have helped him going, he solicits the assistance of government and wellmeaning Nigerians to give him a shoulder to lean on. “Since my discharge from the hospital after six more months of being admitted there on account of what happened, I have no job again and have lost everything I worked for. Now, I walk around, living from hand to mouth. No house to live again in . I want government and spirited individuals to assist me start life again, he begged. Emmanuel Otache can be reached on 09056969174. First Bank: 3049481636 •Emmanuel Otache
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 20, 2021—15 •Makinde Shasha market mayhem: They’ve killed me; victim cries out •I lost t my y brother other, , my y two houses, goods worth N60m •As other victims count their losses By Adeola Badru With over four hundred (400) ethnic groups and several religious sects, Nigeria has been grappling with problems arising from ethnicity and religious intolerance since independence. These, many times degenerated into conflicts and serious crisis leading to loss of lives and property. The clash between the Yoruba and the Hausa in Shasha area of Ibadan, in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, last week was triggered by an exchange of words between a Yoruba pregnant woman and an Hausa tomato seller and the eventual murder of a cobbler, popularly known as “Adex”. There was however no evidence that the fight was caused by ethnic differences. The victim who was stabbed was confirmed dead in a hospital on Friday morning, leading to crisis between the Hausa community and their Yoruba hosts. Within hours, the conflict spread beyond the market According to eyewitnesses, scores of people died on both sides during the crisis. Several shops and houses were also burnt down while the market was deserted. Victims count their losses One of the victims of the mayhem, Garuba Adamu, said: “I am the most unfortunate man in the incident. I lost my brother to the crisis. My brother left behind a wife and four children. He was killed. I lost more than N60 million because I had many trucks bringing perishable goods from the North to the South. My two houses in Shasha were burnt down. I have a store where I loaded 420 bags of rice, beans, corn, and other valuables. They were destroyed. They have killed me alive. I just returned from the hospital now.” Another victim, Muibat Osuolale, a Yoruba trader said: “we were in our shops when we saw some Hausa men running. We asked to know what the issue was. But they said they were looking for someone. I said I was not the person, but one of them raised a dagger and wanted to stab me. I was scared. My children were with me; I started screaming. My shop is directly beside my husband’s house. My husband is crippled. They started throwing stones. They threatened to kill us if we refused to vacate our shop and home. We ran out and they burnt down both our home and shops.” One other victim who lost over N30 million in the crisis also recounted that his house was burnt and looted in the process. He said, “I housed these Hausa traders unfortunately my house was the first to be burnt on that day. I am not a trader. I was not involved in any violence. I am a spare parts dealer. I had a large sum of money that was burnt with my house. I was expected to travel to Lagos to purchase some motor parts. I lost over N30 million.” Governors sympathize This unfortunate incident, attracted the attention of many people across the country. Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State was first to visit Ibadan, to sympathise with his Oyo State counterpart, Governor Seyi Makinde, as they went to the market for an on-the-spot assessment of the level of destruction that took place during the clash. A delegation of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) also visited to show solidarity with the Oyo state government and took various to douse tension. In his resolve to check escalation of the crisis as the Chief Security Officer of the state, Governor Seyi Makinde declared a curfew and closed down the market until normalcy would return to the community. In demonstration of the continued peaceful coexistence among the ethnic tribes, Governor Seyi Makinde received Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger state and Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State. The visit of the four Northern governors to Ibadan, was at the instance of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. Before then, Governor Makinde, had in a statewide broadcast on Monday, disclosed that a judicial panel would be inaugurated to investigate the crisis and stressed that anybody found culpable would be sanctioned. While speaking after visiting the scenes of the destruction, Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State, who spoke on behalf of the other governors, said the conflict at Shasha Market in Ibadan was not a tribal or ethnic one but “the handiwork of miscreants who set out to loot, steal and cause mayhem.” He also described the crisis as a regrettable spontaneous incident. Gov Bagudu admonished youths and social media warriors and influencers to desist from painting the conflict as tribally-motivated and to also stop fanning of the embers of discord that could destabilise the country. He noted that normalcy had returned to the Shasha community as the leaders there were working together to put the incident behind them. The Kebbi governor said: “the streets of Ibadan are calm; there is no one chasing another and people are supporting one another to ensure normalcy.” He noted that such skirmishes were bound to happen in communities, but that “sometimes they are exploited by miscreants to I lost my brother to the crisis. My brother left behind a wife and four children. He was killed. I lost more than N60 million because I had many trucks bringing perishable goods from the North to the South loot, steal and to cause mayhem. At Shasha Market, we saw the destruction, but more than the destruction was the regrettable loss of lives that was caused by an unfortunate and condemnable spontaneous response to emotions. Everyone in the community recognised that two issues led to the crisis. “First, there had been contention over the leadership at Shasha Market. Both the Seriki and Baale of Shasha are in agreement over the leadership but other interested groups were not, hence, there was an undercurrent for trouble to brew.” Cause of mayhem “What was the trigger? There was somebody pushing a wheelbarrow with tomatoes and the items fell in front of a shop. Ordinarily, that is normal in markets. But when emotions rose and social media posts instigating crisis became strident, we had the situation we had.” “We sympathise with those who lost their lives and property. Also, we appreciate what Gov Makinde, community leaders, security agents, youth groups, have done so far. We are also glad that the Seriki and Baale of Shasha are firm that everyone is free to stay and conduct his or her lawful activities.” Bagudu said Governor Makinde had assured that he would continue to engage the people to ensure that all communities lived without fear. “As we speak, it is certain that some people are hiding and experiencing fear about what will happen. So it behoves us to ensure that we communicate properly. This will make those living in fear to know that the NGF, President Mohammadu Buhari and security agencies are working hard to ensure that we treat things for what they are,” Bagudu said. He also expressed satisfaction that the Oyo State governor was rendering assistance, assuring that NGF would support him. “In fact, we have given a token to support those who are already displaced. We will meet at a wider forum on Wednesday and I’m sure more support will be mobilised,” he said. The Seriki Shasha of Ibadanland, Alhaji Haruna Maiyasin, who regretted the unfortunate incident however, lauded Governor Makinde for his peaceful relationship with the Hausa community since the inception of his administration. Speaking at the Seriki Shasha’s Palace, Governor Makinde sued for peace and promised that his government would find means to restore peace to the community. The governor said: “As a government you trust and elected us into office, please trust our judgement to watch out for you and ensure that we coexist peacefully. There is nothing we can do in an atmosphere of unrest and disharmony. When you have agreed that there won’t be any more bloodshed here, you will come to me and then I will reopen the market. I beg you. We won’t lose any more victims”. In furtherance to ensuring a lasting peace and to provide succour for the victims of the mayhem, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State kick-started the process by donating a total of N18.5million to 185 indigenes of the state affected in the clash and Kano State Commissioner of Information, Malam Garba Mohammed who led the government delegation, handed over a cash of N100,000 to the select victims. Consequent upon this, the Federal Government promised to give humanitarian assistance to the affected persons through the National Emergency Management Agency. The assurance was given by the Director General of the agency, Air Vice Marshal Muhammadu Muhammed (retd) after an assessment of the market to ascertain the level of damage. He said the agency had worked on an interim report submitted by sister agency for the humanitarian support, while urging the affected traders to cooperate with a team of the agency for necessary measures. He said: “The NEMA is working with other stakeholders. They have submitted an interim report which we have worked on and processed. We are aware that this unfortunate incident has led to displacement of citizens at different locations in Sabo, Shasha, Oojo, Akinyele. Humanitarian assistance is being processed for them and very soon, it will be ready.” In line with the President’s directive, the DG NEMA Air Vice Marshal Muhammed (retd) said government has constituted a team of officers of the agency working in collaboration with state emergency management agency and other relevant agencies to visit Shasha, the scene of the incident and conduct an indepth assessment of what happened. In their respective remarks for peace to reign, both Baale Shasha, Akinade-Ajani and Seriki Shasha, Maiyasin restated their commitment to peaceful coexistence. They rose in unison to make case for a quick rebuilding, reopening of the market as well as provision of palliatives to the affected traders. Akinade-Ajani said: “We do not discriminate against any tribe; we believe we are of the same family. We want peaceful coexistence of all tribes here. We want a return to how we have been coexisting in Shasha. It is unbelievable to hear that some people are moving to settle in another place within the same Akinyele Local Government. “We can’t approve of them selling in another place and then coming here to sleep at night. Government should arrest and deal with anyone causing crisis. We are no more fighting. We want to live in peace; we are not fighting with Hausa, Igbo. We know those causing trouble; help us take them away from Akinyele Local Government. We don’t want people that beat drums of war. We welcome anyone who wants to trade at Shasha market peacefully. We welcome anyone that will live here in peace.” On his part, Maiyasin said: “We are brothers and sisters and we must all live in unity. This is one Nigeria irrespective of different backgrounds. Yoruba people are also living in our communities without any fear. We are accommodating people and love should be our only language.”
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20022021 - INSECURITY Give us state police now - Govs

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