Posted by From Paul Orude, Bauchi on
A woman in Bauchi State has lamented the mysterious death of her son, Ibrahim, who was a 300 level student at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University.
A woman in Bauchi State has lamented the mysterious death of her son, Ibrahim, who was a 300 level student at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University.
The grieving mother, Mrs. Idris narrated how her son asked for money for a love feast programme in the church. 'I gave him N200 and he knelt down and thanked me. That day, he even brought out my clothes and washed them. I left for church. When I came back that day, it was past 10 and Ibrahim had still not come back. I was getting worried as there was curfew in town," she said.
Weeping profusely, the seamstress described her son as a devout Christian that was popular on the campus.
When the 23-year-old son still failed to show up, Mrs. Idris turned herself to a praying mantis, but that did not solve her problem.
'In the night, I prayed, wishing that Ibrahim decided to sleep in the school. The following morning, I went to Living Faith Church, to join the sanctuary keepers to sweep the church. Immediately I came back from the church, I had to inform my neighbours that I had not seen my son since yesterday."
He said they were worried because Ibrahim had always informed her anytime he wanted to sleep in the school. She said she became worried when a policeman on duty told her sternly that her son was not at the police station.
According to her, it was when she was about to leave the station that a policeman looked through the record and told her that her son was involved in an accident and was rushed to the hospital, where he died.
'Nobody even informed me until I started looking for him," she said amid sobs.
Daily Sun gathered that Ibrahim was rushed to Cocin Clinic, owned by Cocin church, at about 10.15p.m. One of the people that treated him was one Dr Emmanuel. He was detained at the GRA police station for treating the victim.
Emmanuel, who is a trained community health officer, said: 'A man brought him here almost unconscious. He had bruises on his knees and around his elbow. According to him, he told the man that he knew the boy but could not treat him because it was a police case. 'He told me that he was a policeman and showed his identity card."
It was when the man showed his identity card that Emmanuel started to treat the victim who, he said, was in pains. Emmanuel said he administered anti-tetanus injection on him and dressed the wound.
But 30 minutes later, Ibrahim gave up the ghost. He wondered why the police could not contact the family on time.
Daily Sun gathered that on that fateful day, Ibrahim hired the services of a motorcyclist at the university gate, at about 9.45 p.m. The operator of the motorcycle turned out to be a police constable, identified as Mustapha Ado.
It was the same Mustapha that took him to the hospital after the controversial accident.
The deputy co-ordinator, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Mr. Abideen, bemoaned the harassment of students by the police, since the curfew was imposed. 'We have received series of complaints from students about their harassment. We even intend to demonstrate but were dissuaded by the State Security Services (SSS) as a result of tension in the town.
Otun said he was not satisfied with the explanation offered by the police on the death of Ibrahim. 'We pick holes in what the police are telling us," he said.