Molly Kilete
When Margret Nyitse left her home on March 18, 2018, to attend a private lesson at Kpeyegi, Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), little did she know that she was going to return home with one hand chopped off .
An indigene of Benue State, Margret, who resides at Kpeyegi, Abuja suburb, said she had completed her lesson class for the day and was returning home when she met a man she identified as a herdsman. The man swooped on her and threatened to kill her if she made noise.
She said on sighting the herdsman, she took to her heels, but the man being very conversant with the terrain, went ahead of her overtook her and gripped her. For the second time she slipped off his hands but was not so lucky as the man used the machete to hit her on the shoulder forcing her to fall down.
As if that was not enough, she said he rushed her and used the machete to chop off her right wrist. As the heavy metal hit her, the bag she was holding fell off from her shoulder but still she ran out of the lonely vicinity, shouting for help.
The shout drew the attention of many who came to her rescue. She was rushed to the Nigerian Navy Medical Centre. She narrated what had happened, and the matter was immediately reported to the police.
At the medical center, personnel on duty who could not handle her case because of the severity of the injury, rushed her in anambulance to the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital where she was admitted and later operated upon.
Luck, however, ran out on her attacker as he was arrested after committing another offence. Upon his arrest police invited Margret who easily identified him. She told the police that the man was the person that attacked. The suspect did not controvert her claims.
Now, while the police are investigating the matter the young lady is writhing in pains. She is crying for help from good spirited Nigerians.
Her family members confessed to Daily Sun that it cannot afford the amount of money needed to operate on the hand. They are appealing to Nigerians to come to assist her realize her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
Margret narrated: “On March 18, 2018, I was coming back from home lesson in the evening at about 6:30, when I spotted a Fulani man following me so I decided to take a footpath which is also a shortcut. I stay at Abuja at thirty estate at Kpeyegi. “When I saw that he was following me, I decided to use a footpath which is also a shortcut to the area and he followed me. Before I knew what was happening, he entered the bush and started behaving as if he was cutting sticks.
“He doubled crossed me and stood in my front I was at his back. Immediately I passed him, something told me to run and I said why would I see somebody and run. At that point I fastened my footsteps and as I did something told me to turn back.
“As I did, I saw him trying to attack me. That was when it dawned on me that he was going to kill me and started to run. Before I knew what was happening, I heard cutlass on my shoulder. My shoulder bone broke and the handbag I was carrying fell off. He hit me again on my elbow and I was using my left hand to block myself from further attack.
“It was when he bent down to pick my handbag that I had the opportunity and ran out of the footpath. People saw me and asked what happened. I told them and they reported the matter to the police. They took me to the Navy Barracks Hospital.
“At the hospital, they said they could not treat me. They managed to tie the hand and took me in an ambulance to the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital. I was operated upon and they fixed two metals to support the hand from my shoulder bone.”
How he was arrested
“He committed another crime and was arrested by the police. At the station, he was said to have made some confessional statement, which prompted the police to send for me.
“When the incident happened, they had asked me if I could recognise my attacker. I recognised him when I got to the station as the man who attacked me. And when they asked him if he knew me, he said yes.”