Posted by By MAURICE ARCHIBONG on
Misfortune, they say, comes like a mother hen: A flock of fowls moving like a string, one after another. Such has been the vicissitude of a 14-year-old Nigerian, Christopher Egbe.
Misfortune, they say, comes like a mother hen: A flock of fowls moving like a string, one after another. Such has been the vicissitude of a 14-year-old Nigerian, Christopher Egbe.
How sad
The teenager, who is a class JJS 1 student of Community Secondary School, Effium Effiom LGA, in Ebonyi State,was behind payment of school fees. On April 29, he set out for Cotonou hoping to raise money for his school fees from his relatives, who live in the Beninese economic capital.
Hoping to take advantage of the long weekend, which included Monday May 2, since May 1 (Labour Day) had fallen on a Sunday, Master Egbe believed he would be back at school by Tuesday May 3.
Unfortunately, his proposed three-day journey would last more than a month. To worsen matters, the boy spent Children's Day languishing in prison in a foreign land..
According to the boy's brother Sunday Edeni Egbe, Christopher arrived in Cotonou on May 1, tired after a back-breaking trip by road from eastern Nigeria. The following day, May 2, another of Christopher's brother, Friday Egbe, also resident in Cotonou, decided to take the lad on a visit to another relative. On their way, sources said, the brothers ran into a gang of Beninese touts, who seized the Nigerians and handed them to the local police.
Itcould be recalled that on May 1, a Nigerian Chinedu Ohuka (whose surname other sources had earlier given as Ibe), had died shortly after being severally stabbed by a Beninese tout on May 1, the same day that Christopher entered Cotonou.
On June 2, some Nigerians had embarked on an ill fated riot, which claimed the lives of two more of their compatriots after Beninese security operatives called in to quell the protest, shot into the crowd. During the rampage, some Nigerians had vandalized the marts of some Beninese traders, according to one respondent. This led to a wave of arrests of Nigerians around the scene. However, Beninese touts hiding under the camouflage of patriotic fervour, cashed-in on the unrest to raid some Nigerians' shops. Such mobs seized immigrants from the street and shops, whom they subsequently handed over to the Police National, but without various items looted from the Nigerians' emporiums. That's how the JSS 1 student, his elder brother Friday, and about 100 other Nigerians ended up in prison in Cotonou. Apart from Nigerians, those detained in connection with the May 2 unrest included a Cameroonian and some Nigeriens.
Unfortunately for the detainees, the crisis broke when neither the Chief Uko Elendu, President of Nigerian Community Union (NCU) Cotonou and Chief Ebuka Onunkwo, Leader of Igbo Union Cotonou (IUC) were in town. To worsen matters, even the NCU Secretary, Alhaji Abdul Lateef Olujobi was visiting Nigeria for an in-law's burial at the time. Thus, sustained moves to effect the suspects' release only began when Chief Onunkwo who had travelled overseas, returned to Cotonou.
On May 4, 62 Nigerians were arraigned in a Cotonou court. By May 6, 76 of the 110 people arrested and detained had been released, then there was at least one more hearing before May 27, when 30 Nigerians still remanded in prison, were brought to court for sentencing. When the Igbo leader in Cotonou spoke with "Sun Travels" on May 24, he had vowed to fight tooth and nail to ensure that none of the Nigerians went to jail.
The NUC president shared the same sentiment. To show their commitment to getting the detainees freed, Chiefs Elendu and Onunkwo had coughed out some CFA 1.4 million francs (roughly N380, 000) to pay four Beninese, who claimed their shops/offices had been vandalized by the protesting Nigerians.
Then came Friday May 27, when it was hoped all the remaining detainees would be set free. On that day, Christopher's problems took a turn for the worse, even as other detainees heaved huge sighs of relief. On May 27, all the Nigerians, except Christopher, were released. Although a few of the suspects went home with suspended sentences on their head, majority were discharged and acquitted, while Christopher had to remain in prison because being a minor, he was supposed to appear before a judge of cases involving juveniles. This left the boy without the comfort of having older Nigerians around for some reassurance.
Relief
It's said that after darkness comes light, and as sure as the night must give way to day, Christopher's nightmare is likely to be over soon, going by information from sources at the offices of Chiefs Elendu and Onunkwo.
That, notwithstanding, the lad has already missed classes for more than a month, and would need help because he has a lot of catching-up to do. Apart from being behind his classmates, due to his month-long incarceration, Master Egbe would need psychological treatment for his traumatic experience too. Furthermore, he probably needs medical check-up also, in the light of reports of poor and hostile conditions in prisons, generally.
Sunday, one of Christopher's elder brothers, said the boy must be badly shaken by his detention because he had never undergone that type of experience before.
As if he had seen some problems coming, Chief Onunkwo and a Catholic Youth Fellowship had visited Nigeria to invite Reverend Father Mbaka, to come to Cotonou and pray for peace among the Nigerians, their businesses as well as their host community. By some uncanny coincidence, the Catholic priest arrived on May 27, when all the detainees, except young Christopher, were set free. Not only that, during the May 2 unrest, one Nigerian actually lost two toes to gunshots fired by Benin security agents. A bullet had also lodged in the foot of another Nigerian. For fear of being arrested, this Nigerian did not take his wound to the hospital because a police report would have been required before he could be treated. So, this victim took his plight to the Lord, during one of the Crusades Father Mbaka went to Cotonou to carry out. That's how during Mbaka's evangelism, a young man climbed the stage to announce that a bullet that was in his foot had miraculously ejected under the power of prayers!
Moreover, countless members of the congregation were brought to the fore for exorcism, after they fell unconscious and began writhing and wriggling like serpents under the influence of prayers. Although Father Mbaka's three-day crusade was a huge success, sources revealed there are already plans to bring the cleric back, given the revelations that came to light during his latest crusade.
Nigeria-Benin Republic seal trade pact
Interestingly, while the Nigerian suspects were being let loose on May 27, there was a high-level meeting between Nigerian and Beninese officials in Cotonou. That meeting in last March, was actually the third such deliberation since 2004.
On May 28, a Nigerian delegation led by Mrs. Nenadi Usman, Nigeria's Minister of State for Finance and the Beninese delegation led by that nation's Minister of Industry Trade and Employment Promotion, Madam Massiyatou Latoundji, had again met in Cotonou. That meeting was to review the activities of a Joint Technical Committee and to officially launch the implementation of the Nigeria-Benin Joint Committee on Commerce (JCC) Scheme between the two countries that launch took place at the frontier post of Krake/Seme.
The flag-off was the result of the mutual decision between Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and his Beninese counterpart, Mathieu Kerekou on one hand, and a meeting held on April 22, 2004, in Cotonou, between President Obasanjo and the Beninese Business Community. That encounter was a precursor to the establishment on June 7, 2004 of the Nigeria-Benin JCC, its technical organs, and an agreement in November 2004 in Abuja, where products for exportation to Nigeria from Benin Republic were identified and ratified. Thus, with effect from Saturday 28, May 2005, some Beninese companies such as Benin Textile Complex (COTEB); Benin Cooking Oil Company (SHB-Sa); Fludor, and Agonvy Oil Complex (CODA) are authorized to export freely to Nigeria through the agreed land corridors of Krake-Seme; Igolo-Idiroko; and Nikki (Chikandu)/Chikanda. The products these outfits may send into Nigeria include textile fabrics, garments, cottonseed and palm kernel. Alcohol, maize flour, cement, pillows and palms oil are also on that list.
Speaking during the event, Mrs. Usman observed that day marked a milestone in the actualization of the common dream of both presidents for greater integration between the two countries. Recalling that the JCC was born on April 22, 2004 on the directives of President Obasanjo in response to a distress call from his Beninese opposite number, Mrs. Usman added that the imposition of ban by the Federal Government of Nigeria on certain category of foreign goods hurt the Beninese. Such bans, she said, adversely affected exports in terms of volume of import duty and tax receipts putting significant pressure on that Benin's budget leading to the suspension of some capital projects in that country. Consequently, "Technocrats of both countries deployed tremendous efforts to actualize the directive of President Obasanjo".
According to the junior minister, "The affected products from about 12 companies have been duly verified by the Joint Verification and Monitoring Sub-committee (JVMSC), of the JCC, which verified their origin, content and admissibility status into the Nigerian market".
Usman again: "It is hoped that the Benin authorities would reciprocate this gesture by refraining from unwholesome business practices targeted at Nigeria's economic interests from its borders. It is sad to note that Nigeria has suffered severely as a result of such practices perpetrated by smugglers from both sides.
"For instance, it is disturbing to note that in the on going fight by the Nigerian Customs Service against smuggling, about 40-50% of seized wares are those which have entered Nigeria from Benin Republic. Also, the Service has suffered a number of human casualties inflicted by daredevil smugglers from both countries operating across the borders".
Mrs. Usman further added that in fulfillment of President Obasanjo's promise during his visit of 5 April, 2005 to Benin Republic, the Federal Ministry of Finance shall soon deliver 10 Four-Wheel Drive patrol vehicles to Beninese authorities to enhance joint border patrol operations by the Nigeria-Benin Joint Border Patrol Team."