One Sunday Okebata, who reportedly lost his wife to the alleged reprisal attacks by soldiers on the Izombe community in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, has explained how the Military men raided their house, leading to the death of his wife.
Njenje Media News reports that Mr Okebata, who made this known in an interview with PUNCH accused the military of burning his house on October 8, 2021, in the aftermath of a clash between the soldiers and the youths of the community. According to him, his wife was burnt in the process and she died five days after.
While narrating what transpired, he said:
“I was away at work when my beloved wife called me and told me that she had been burnt by soldiers. She told me that soldiers who were on a reprisal in our community came to our house and told her that one of the youths they were looking for ran into our house. She said that one of the soldiers pointed a gun at her, asking her to provide the suspect or he would shoot her. This was happening in the presence of our two children and my mother, Mrs. Catherine Okebata, who had had a stroke since 2014. My wife knelt down, begging the soldier not to shoot her, my mother, and my children. She explained to them that nobody ran into our house. My sick mother also begged the solider not to kill them as there was no youth who ran into our house. My mother also told the angry officer that none of her two sons had any criminal record, begging him to spare their lives.”
While further narrating the events that culminated in the burning of his wife and house, he said:
“The soldier walked out the room where he met my mother, wife and children and went outside. He then set the house on fire and left. My wife tried to rescue my children and mother who could not walk without aid. My wife succeeded in rescuing my mother but was unfortunate as her clothes got caught in the fire and burnt her terribly. Her face, body, chest, back and everywhere was burnt”.
‘Initially, I didn’t know it was an emergency situation until I received a call from somebody who asked if I was Faith’s husband. When I replied in the affirmative, he asked me to rush to a nearby hospital in my village where my was wife had been rushed to. I immediately called one of the senior army officers at 34 Artillery Brigade Command, Obinze and reported that soldiers had destroyed my house and burnt my wife but the army officer quickly rebuffed my claim and told me that the soldiers were not after women and children. He told me that my people had killed some of his colleagues and seized military riffles. I quickly rushed to the village and on reaching the hospital, I met my beloved wife in a terrible condition. The fire had burnt her body. I immediately evacuated her to the Federal Medical Centre in Owerri for proper medical attention.”
“At the hospital, it was discovered that the burn injuries affected her badly, down to her liver. The doctor told me that though all hope should not be lost but my wife’s condition was terrible. The doctor said that only little percentage of patients who had a similar case as my wife survived it. We kept hope alive but unfortunately, she died five days later, leaving for me, four children, including our last born, who is just two years old.”
According to him, her death was very painful as she died a painful death in his arms and bemoaned the psychological trauma his children were subjected to as they witnessed the attack that led to the death of their mother.
He further affirmed that his own mother can identify the particular soldier who pointed a gun at his wife and burnt her together with his house.
While calling for justice, Mr Sunday wants the appropriate authorities to look into the carnage and murder,
“It is a big blow for a young man like me to lose my wife at this age and stage of my life. I want justice. My wife didn’t deserve to die now and in such circumstances. It was indeed a painful and heartbreaking death. I want justice. She died on my laps. She told me some things before she breathed her last. I want justice. I want the court to carefully look into this incident and dispense justice. My heart bleeds that this calamity befell me. I want justice”.
He noted that the military hierarchy has not reached out to him aside from the conversation he had with the senior military officer at 34 Artillery Brigade Command, Obinze, wherein he said that the rampaging soldiers were not after women and children.
INTERVIEW COPYRIGHT: PUNCH
