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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Chibuzo Ikwunze, in his 40s, from Umuagu, Umuhu, Ohuhu, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, had four children aged between three and 12 years up till August 24, 2021. By the next day, August 25, 2021, he got what he never bargained for, all his children died in one fell swoop.
How did it happen? Ikwunze’s longstanding friend, Mr. Okechkwu Ogba, from Akanu Item, in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, had invited the four children of his friend and former neighbour to his home, as he had done time and again. But little did he or his friend, Ikwunze (the father of the four children), know that tragedy of monumental proportions was waiting.
On the arrival of the four children of his friend, Ogba went to town and bought barbequed meat, Suya, and some fruit juice with which to welcome and entertain his guests. However, after eating the Suya and drinking the fruit juice, they died at a go, including Ogba and two of his own children.
One year after, the couple, Mr. and Mrs. Chibuzo Ikwunze, relived their experience, saying it has been a year of hell on earth, though they are thankful to God and have implicit faith in him.
In an interview on how it feels losing four of his children, Ikwunze said: “It is not easy at all; it is a heavy loss to me that all of a sudden I lost all my four children I used to play around with, eat together with. In fact, I did everything together with them; then just in one fell swoop I was told that all of them were no more.
“If not for God’s grace and the love He has for my wife and I, we could not have been alive today. But I thank God for giving us His grace and the strength to bear the loss and still keeping us alive till today. That we are still alive is only by His grace and prayers by children of God”.
His wife, Amarachi, spoke in the same vein. She said: “It has not been easy this past one year. Any woman that has given birth before knows what women pass through during pregnancy. So, it is not what one would like, after passing through, the children will die just at once. But I thank God because He knows all. I also thank Him for giving us the grace to bear what had befellen us.”
On whether there was anytime in life he had in mind this calamity would befall him, Ikwunze retorted: “I know that people do die, I also know that one can give birth to children and, at a point in time, one or two of them may die. But I have not seen that one has up to four children and all of them died at the same time. If someone had told me this, I would not have believed him.”
The distraught father said it was after his children died and people came to console them, they were telling him this type of incident had happened in some places before.
“But for me, I had never heard it before, until it happened to me. There was no time in this wide life I had the thought that all my four children would just go like that in one fell swoop. I never had in mind that the children I used to play with would all of a sudden go like that, and I’m now known as the father of so, so and so late children”.
For the wife, this is not the type of thing one would wish to happen to even to her worst enemy.
When asked, if God blesses them again with children, what they would do to forestall what happened to them last year, Ikwunze was quick to answer: “It will be very difficult for me to allow any of my child to go to another person’s house. Anywhere I am, there my children will be; anywhere I am going to, there my children will go to. If at all they will go to another person’s house, its not all of them that would go, they would be divided, while some will go, others will stay at home with me.”
While saying allowing all his children again to go out at the same time would amount to putting all his eggs in one basket, the man added: “I will not put all my eggs in one basket again. If God later gives me two or three children, one or two will go, while the remaining ones stay with me. I will no more allow all of them to go to another person’s house at the same time, no matter the circumstance.”
Since the incident, there have been rumours, especially in the social media, that the couple could no longer have children, saying the four they already had were through caesarian section. But the couple debunked this.
The man said: “Yes, there are signs that more children will come our way. I strongly believe that God will give me more children despite what some people are writing in the social media that the chances of my wife giving birth to more children are over as the four she gave birth to before were through caesarian operation, but there was nothing like that. The four children she gave birth to were through the natural process.”
The woman added: “All they are saying in this direction are not true. To prove that all these are fallacy, I went to our bishop and the wife and removed my cloth to show them my stomach, to let them know that no knife of a surgeon had gone through it before. They marvelled when they discovered the truth.”
The couple are disenchanted and dismayed that dispite what befell them they have nothing doing presently that will help them at least to take care of themselves. They are equally not happy that the Abia State government has not fulfilled its promise to them, one year after.
Take this from Ikwunze: “So many people have come to inquire from me if the state government gave us N10m as was said to have been promised. There is nothing like that. The very day my children died, the state government said they would carry out an autopsy and after that they would tell us what killed our children.
“We have not seen the result of the autopsy, neither have I received the N10m promised to us. We have done all we could to see that the state government comes to our help, but all have been in vain.
“When the incident happened, the wife of the governor sent some people to come and see us; she did not come herself. When those people came, I asked them to appeal to the wife of the governor to give my wife a job, because she has nothing doing. I was told that when they relayed the message to her, she said there was no job available.”
Ikwunze said the Abia First Lady advised his wife to write a letter for empowerment, which he said they did and he took the letter personally to the governor’s wife’s office. The man said that till moment, they’ve not heard from any body in that regard. “After a while, I summoned courage and did a reminder, yet nothing came out of it,” he volunteered.
The distraught father is flabbergasted that the government of the day in the state is treating them lackadaisically, despite the calamity that befell them. “The wife of the governor should place herself in my wife’s stead; a woman losing all her four children in one swoop, is by no measure a small calamity.
“Assuming there is no job as she said, I had expected her to ask my wife to be becoming to her office every morning. At the end of every month, she will give her stipend with which she will be taking care of herself. If not for anything, as she goes out, that will help in healing the wounds inflicted on her by the loss of the children. At least, that will help to alleviate the agony my wife has been passing through.
“I heard the wife of the governor is a kind hearted woman. I also learnt she has been assisting people and I begin to wonder why, as this calamity fell upon us, she did not want to ask about us or come to our aid. It is painful to us,” he lamented.
Ikwunze said the only assistance that have come their way since the incident happened one year ago were from the people of Ohuhu, led by Chief O. B Aguocha. Also on the list of those who visited and assisted them is Hon Sam Onuigbo, member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia in the House of Representatives.
According to him, “since then, he has been calling us on phone to find out how we have been fairing. Another person was the Speaker of Abia House of Assembly, Hon Chinedum Orji. He visited us and gave me a Toyota Corolla car and other things. Only those three persons came to ask after us.”
The couple, who had many expectations from government are not happy they were left in the lurch all these while to drench in the calamitous rain that beat them a year ago, are still hopeful they would one day be remembered.
Ikwunze said: “I expected so many things from the government. I had expected the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu to give me or my wife a job so that we will be getting money to feed ourselves.
“I also had expected the wife of the governor to at least come to the aid of my wife who is her fellow woman. If there is no job, at least she can assist her to start something since she learnt a trade. If we have something doing, we will have money to take care of ourselves. Even when we start having children again, we will see money to look after them.”
Describing the hell they have passed through in the past one year, he said: “There are at times, if my wife and I remember what happened to us last year, we will cry all day and during that time, throughout the week, we will not go anywhere, we will remain indoors crying. But if we have something doing, we will not feel the pains up to that level”.
Mrs Ikwunze appeared more direct in her feelings and expectations. She said: “I am not happy that after the incident, the wife of the governor never cared to come to our aid, at least to come and console her follow woman. She went through child bearing and knows the pains. She did not care to come and see and console me. She is like a mother to me and I wouldn’t know why up to this moment, she did not deem it necessary to visit and console one of her daughters or give any financial assistance to us. She appeared not to have shared in my pains. What happened has made me to decide not to vote for politicians again during any election.”
The couple advised parents to take care of their children to forestall what happened to them. He said: “Since after the incident, any child I see is always precious to me. If I see any man beating his child, l will have it the person doesn’t know what he is doing. Parents should be careful where their children are, they should not allow them all to move out of their house at once.
“Some should be made to remain at home because of the unknown. When the four children were all around me, I would to an extent say I never knew their value until now that I lost them. Children should always be taken care of.”
He also advised couples to let their spouses know where they bought anything before eating it, “so that when something happens, it will be easy to identify where such things were bought.” He added that nobody knew till moment where those things his children ate and died were bought.
