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From Tony Osauzo, Benin
Members of the Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), chapter, yesterday morning, protested the killing of their member identified as Dr. Otote Osaikhuomwan, 36, resulting in temporary disruption of activities at the hospital.
Dr. Osaikhuomwan who was of the Department of Ophthalmology in the hospital, was reportedly killed in the compound he lived in the Ugbor area of Benin City in the presence of his pregnant wife in the early hours of Monday.
The assailants were said to have gone straight into his apartment and shot him in the chest area before going away with some items.
President of the ARD, Dr Elamah Ikpemimoghena, who spoke onthe incident in tears, said insecurity has been one of the reasons responsible for brain drain in the country.
“This is a very unfortunate incident, it came to us as a rude shock and it boils down to the general insecurity in the state and in the country at large. Something that we have always complained about, something that has made a lot of our colleagues reconsider their stance in working in Nigeria.
“Insecurity is gaining a very scary trend and that has led to a lot of brain drain, a lot of our members have left the country just because of insecurity. We call on the relevant authorities to ensure that they bring the perpetrators to book and give justice to our friend, our brother, a hardworking, calm fellow. Somebody that we know cannot hurt a fly, we don’t know why this happened to him but we hope that God will grant the family, the department and everyone here in UBTH and NARD the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss”, he added.
In his comment, the spokesman of ARD, UBTH, Dr. Era Eugene, urged security agencies not to ignore the possibility of assassination in their investigation.
“What is of particular concern to us in respect of this incident is we are concerned about the nature of the incident, information available to us suggest that his apartment was the only apartment robbed in the compound and why it is worrisome is it looked more like a targeted attack, we are having concerns about that and it is our opinion that the security operatives rise up to the occasion”, he said.
Spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, SP. Bello Kontongs, while confirming the killing, said the Police Division where the incident happened has commenced preliminary investigation and would transfer their findings to the State Command.
In a related development, communities in Ovia South West Local Government Area of the state have appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki to save them from killer herdsmen.
They also appealed to the Governor to, as a matter of urgency, dispatch relevant security agencies to the communities and forest with a view to flushing out the herders and restore peace in the area.
The residents who came under the platform of ‘Save Ovia Group’ to protest the incessant invasion and killing of natives of these communities by herdsmen at the Edo State Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) Secretariat, bore placards with various inscriptions as: ‘Obaseki, wake up. It is not cows that voted for you’; ‘Sorrow, pains, hunger, tears in our land’; ‘Owners of cows are owners of Ak-47’, amongst others.
In a letter titled ‘Save Our Soul’, signed by Mr. Johnbull Ewaremi on behalf of the communities and addressed to the governor, they lamented that they have become refugees in their own land.
“Lately, we have come under heavy attacks from herdsmen who came to sack the dwellers of some of the communities, burnt houses, destroyed household properties, burnt farms and caused their herds to feed on our farm produce.
“As if these were not enough, they have continued their unwholesome mindlessness by killing, maiming, raping of innocent farmers who are out to seek daily bread.
“As we speak now, there is no single soul in Abumwenre II and Igolo communities because these marauders have vowed to kill anyone who steps in there, and also made these communities their camps.
“It will interest you to know, Your Excellency, that people from these communities mentioned are now IDPs in other neighboring villages as they have had to scamper for safety. Our people are faced with untold hunger, frustration and hopelessness because they can not go to their farms where they have sown”, part of the letter read.
Receiving the protesters at the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, chairman of the council, Festus Alenkhe, sympathised with them and called on the Edo State House of Assembly to pass into law the anti-open-grazing bill in the state.
