When the young
couple walked down the altar in 2009 and signed the dotted lines
signaling their marriage, they never knew that the blissful union will
only last for a few years. The union was blessed with a beautiful baby
boy, who is just nine months old. As a reward for their hard work, the
couple had built and packed into their own house in Mpape, a suburb of
Maitama district in Abuja.
And then tragedy
struck. Eugene Okere lost his wife Doris, on January 31, 2011 to
bullets from a trigger-happy cop guarding a bank in Abuja. 31 year old
Doris Okere was on her way to work from Mpape, where she had boarded a
taxi painted in the official green and white colour to Bank PHB Wuse
zone 1 where her office is located. The taxi was reversing in front of
Zenith Bank at Mpape when one of the police officers attached to the
bank fired shots at the vehicle. The bullet found its mark. Mrs. Okere,
who was sitting in the passenger seat, was struck. She died on the spot.
For security
reasons, taxis are not allowed to either park or stop in front of banks
to pick passengers. But an eyewitness account revealed that the taxi
involved in this instance was merely making a U-turn to head for the
Abuja town when the event took place.
Husband of the
victim, Mr. Okere, who is a civil servant, told NEXT that the incidence
was devastating and unbearable. He said his family has been in great
agony and things have not been the same ever since. He said, “I was in
the house when she left for work that day around 7 o’clock in the
morning. A couple of minutes after she left, I received a call on my
phone , when I looked , I saw that it was her number calling me, I
thought maybe she forgot something . When I picked the call, a male
voice spoke to me saying the owner of the phone is dead. I couldn’t
believe , I thought it was a joke ,but I was wrong.’’
‘‘After the line
went off, I managed to call the number again to be sure that I heard
right , the male voice advised me to come over to the Zenith bank where
the incidence happened , on getting there , I saw my wife lying in the
pool of her own blood , obviously dead.”
Police disinterest
Mr Okere also alleges that the police is handling the matter with levity and has not accorded it the attention it deserved.
According to him,
since one of their own murdered his wife, the story has not been
different. “Her body was taken to the mortuary in the evening and I
went to the Divisional Police to make a statement on what has happened.
I proceeded to the FCT Command and also made an entry,” he said.
“In fact, as I’m
talking to you now, the autopsy and every other thing was handled by
me. I didn’t see any police officer, they are not interested. Even on
the day of the autopsy, they didn’t come. We have to wait for them,
made several calls to the DPO. But when the result came out, they were
the first to collect the result , even before I got there. The result
is out and we have also gotten the permission to carry on with the
burial. I am going to bury my wife this week (last) Saturday.
“All the expenses
is on me. I pay N800 per day at Asokoro hospital to keep the corpse.
The police is not forthcoming. They have not sent any delegation; even
the Divisional Police Station has not even come to commiserate with me.
Even if they are not concerned about me, they should look at the
nine-month-old baby that the woman left behind. They have not done
that. There is no sign of remorse. Rather, on that day, the Police
Public Relations Officer and the Commissioner of Police who have not
even investigated the matter said it was an accidental discharge.
And I know very well that the killer of my wife pleaded guilty to the offence.
He killed her at a very close range. She could neither talk nor cry out after the gunshot. She died without leaving a word.”
The management of
the Zenith Bank branch, he also said, were yet to send a sympathy note,
although the bank has commenced renovation work at the bank premises
which was burnt down by the angry youth in Mpape when the incidence
occurred. “When my wife was killed at her prime age at 31, she was also
working in a corporate organisation like theirs. If they formed an
alliance to kill my wife, I appeal to well meaning Nigerians to assist
me, so that justice can prevail.” Poor child
The nine-month-old
boy left behind by the deceased has been undergoing traumatic
experience since the mother’s death. These days, the whole family keep
vigil every night to assuage the baby. “That morning of the tragic
incident, he sucked before the mother left for office.” Also, before
she left for work that same day, she prepared her husband’s breakfast
of rice. “I told her that I will call her in the afternoon and that on
my way home, I will pick her so we can go home together. She said no
problem and left. It was a lovely family, the future was bright,” he
said.
“We planned going
home by Easter this year because since I got married to her, she has
not had the opportunity to go home due to her work schedule as a
banker. We also planned that in August she will be taking the second
phase of her leave,
then we will also go home to start our house project. Those were the things we planned together and now I am alone.
“I miss her
companionship. She was a very tolerant, very cheerful and a good
planner. Her plan for the baby was wonderful,” he said.
