THERE were echoes of the Mile 12 disturbance yesterday, eight days after the riot in which 16 persons died.
A 16-year-old boy, Bolaji Kalejaye, hit by a stray bullet is battling for his life in hospital.
A school bursar, Rasaq Olaide, who was machete on the head, has been discharged from hospital.
A bullet pierced through the back of Kalejaye, who was on his way home after writing the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), and came out from his stomach, spilling his intestine.
Kalejaye, it was learnt, packed his intestine and rushed to the nearest police station where he was allegedly sent away.
He was said to have fallen on the road in pains. Passersby reportedly ignored him as they ran for cover.
Some neighbours later rushed him to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja.
Doctors rallied to save his life, stitching the lower part of his stomach to the upper part of his private parts.
His parents are seeking assistance from government and individuals to pay his bill.
Kalejaye said: “I left the house around 5am that day for Ikeja, where my JAMB centre was. On getting to Mile 12 on my way home after the exam, I saw people raising their hands up. I followed suit. Suddenly people started running and I joined them in running. I noticed police people were behind me as I ran. It was while I was running that I realised that I have been hit by bullet.
“When the bullet hit me, I was bleeding, I was thirsty but I refused to drink water because we have been thought how to survive gunshot wounds.
“I was crying for help but no one answered me. So, I removed my tee shirt and used it to pack my intestines up and pushed them inside. I managed to walk about 50 steps to the police station that is under Mile 12 bridge, where I pleaded with them to help me.
“But the policemen chased me away. They saw that I was bleeding badly but they told me to go away that their station was not hospital. I was becoming weak. I had to beg some of the area boys hanging around to help me.
“Fortunately, one of them knew me and they rushed me to a nearby private hospital. It was the doctor that removed the bullet which was hanging on my outer stomach.
“I gave them my daddy’s number. So, my daddy came and they doctor now told them to transfer me to specialist hospital. That was how my parents brought me here and I was operated on.”
The victim’s mother, Mrs Alero Kalejaye, a crayfish seller, said they have spent all their savings and even borrowed to save his life.
She said the doctors told them Kalejaye will undergo another surgery in two weeks time.
The mother of five said she had resorted to begging to safe her son.
“We have spent over N500,000 since last Thursday that this incident happened. I have even called my crayfish customers and borrowed money from them. It is so bad that on Monday I went begging from General Hospital to Computer village in order to raise money to buy drugs for my boy.
“I am begging Nigerians to help me and safe my son’s life. I am begging them because at the moment, I do not even have money to eat. It is the relatives of other patients that have been assisting me with money.
“At the moment, a pipe (catheter) is on his body from where he passes out faeces. Some of the money we have spent here are the savings for his admission and the school fees for his older siblings. Where do I start?” she sobbed.
Asked why she didn’t go in search of her son when the crisis started, Mrs. Kalejaye said she travelled to Ondo State two days before the violence and only returned that Thursday.
“I was not around. I went to Ondo State on Tuesday to buy crayfish. It was on my way back, when I got to Mile 12, people were talking about a young boy that was shot from the back and his intestines came out. They were narrating how the boy packed his intestines and how police people refused to help him. I did not know it was my Bolaji.
“Immediately I got home and saw his father’s face, I knew something was not right. I asked him and he told me that he won’t lie to me. That night alone, we spent over N250,000 in the hospital and since then, we have been doing one test or the other and also buying drugs.
“Why would the police chase a child like that away? Are they not supposed to rescue an innocent child that was hit by stray bullet?” she queried.
Mrs Kalejaye has appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and Nigerians to assist the family, through her first bank account – 3026288658, Alero Kalejaye. She can be reached on 08052535277 and 08075621272.
The Nation learnt that Kalejaye, who applied for Medicine, scored 250 in the UTME.
Olaide, the Bursar of As-Siddiq Schools in Ikosi, Ketu, told The Nation that he was moving from the primary to the secondary section when he was attacked.
Olaide said: “I was coming from our Primary school in Iyase and branched at First Bank to make a transaction for the school. When I left the bank, I headed towards the college. The only information I heard was that the bikes were not working. When I got to Aina road, I found out that everywhere was quiet and that there was no bike but people were buying and selling. I decided to walk down the street to get Keke Napep. On getting to the bridge, I saw police vehicles there trying to control those fighting.
“In less than a minute, I heard gunfire from the other side. I saw people running and I also started running in order to dodge stray bullets. I saw a house close to the bridge and decided to hide there not knowing who the house belonged to. Somebody opened the door and told his friend to enter. I wanted to enter too but he refused and pushed me out. The next thing I saw was five men coming towards the house with cutlasses and clubs and they descended on me. I kept shoutingLailahaillallahu.
“They struck me with their cutlass at the back of my head and I saw blood all over my body and all the school documents I had on me were scattered in different directions. I managed to escape from there. Everyone was running from me. All the chemist shops were locked. So, nobody could attend to me. I managed to walk back to under the bridge and got a bike that took me back to the primary school. I was then taken to the hospital from the school.”
Olaide said he sustained a deep cut at the back of his head which was stitched at the hospital. He added that he was also given an injection and some pain relievers.
The Proprietress of As-Siddiq Schools, Hajia Sherifah Yusuf-Ajibade told The Nation that the pupils closed early that day to ensure their safety.
She said: “We had to invite the security personnel who brought armoured tank to escort our pupils out of the school. They were released by 2pm instead of the usual 3:30pm. We had heard of the clash since morning but we could not release them until we were able to get the military personnel to assist us. The crisis did not get to our area but we could not retain the children in the school because we were not sure they would not get there.”
No comments:
Post a Comment