Crime News
Father Of 3 Whose Wife Died At NIS Job Test In Benin Laments “This Load Is Too Much”
March 24, 2014 – Father Of 3 Whose Wife Got Killed At NIS Job Test In Benin Laments “This Load Is Too Much For Me”
If they had known, maybe they would have asked government to forget its job so they could live together. This is part of the lamentation of Mr Austin Amu, the widower of Mrs Sandra Amun, who lost her life, Saturday, March 15, 2014, at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin City, where the recruitment exercise of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) took place.
Incidentally, Amun, from Uzebba, Owan West Local Government Council of Edo State, participated in the recruitment exercise with the deceased but survived the stampede. It was a pitiable sight when Sunday Vanguard visited the family’s residence in Benin City watching the husband of the deceased trying to administer medication on their last born, Favour, who was crying due to cough and catarrh.
Amun recalled that he and Sandra had woken up on the ill-fated day and had their bath together as they had always done in the past 10 years.They planned to get to the recruitment venue on time. They actually did but met an uncontrollable crowd at the stadium as thousands of applicants struggled to participate in the job test.
Sunday Vanguard found that the stampede occurred because the organizers decided to lock the big gates and used the small ones at the stadium. As a result, people had to pay N1000 each to gain entry.. Those who could not afford the money made frantic efforts to find their way into the stadium at all costs, a situation that created chaos.
Amun narrated his story to Sunday Vanguard: “ I applied for the job as a senior secondary school holder while my wife applied as a graduate because she finished from Auchi Polytechnic. On that day, while we were on queue, I could have been the victim because while I was in the crowd, I almost couldn’t breath. I told her we should go home.
But she said I shouldn’t worry, that I should find somewhere to relax while she will be at the stadium and monitor things and then get back to me. About 20 minutes later, her younger brother who also came to write the examination saw me and asked after his sister. I told him she was in the crowd. 30 minutes later, somebody shouted that a woman had died.
I didn’t know it was my wife. It was then they now went to open the big gates into the stadium. The first time, they were using the small gates; it was after the incident that they went to open the big gates, for people to enter the stadium.. I thought I was going to see her inside the stadium. I went round the place, I didn’t see her. Around 4 pm when we were about to write the test, I still had not seen her and I became more worried but the brother encouraged me to write the test saying maybe she was writing her own somewhere. After the test, I sat by the gates thinking while coming out I would see her. I waited till around 6.30 to 7 pm.
Later, thought maybe she would be in my viewing centre. I went there but didn’t see her, people came around to watch football, but because I had not seen my wife, I couldn’t open the shop. I locked the place and called her younger brother and my friend who has a vehicle. We went to the hospital where they rushed those injured during the test, to check if she was there; but they said they had discharged four people who sustained injuries.
They checked their names, my wife’s name was not there. They now said there was one woman who Immigration officials brought without a name and they used no name to book the woman’s corpse. I now requested to see the woman. Behold I saw my wife in the mortuary sleeping alone. I touched her, she could not touch me, I called her, she could not answer.
I tried to call her phone because I did not believe she was dead; but she did not pick. But somebody picked her phone on the ground and the person told me he couldn’t reach the owner until after the test, because of the crowd. It was the next day that the Civil Defence people that collected it brought it home.
“Since the incident nobody has called me from the Immigration Service. The only people that came to see me were from a human rights group based in Abuja. They asked how I felt and what happened. I told them the story. I don’t know where to start from. We had been together even before she went to Auchi Polytechnic, she went to the polytechnic from my house; she finished her studies before we started having kids.
She graduated in HND banking and finance seven years ago. The most senior child, a girl, Favour, is six years, Miracle, the second, is five and the last, Favour (male), is three years. I want assistance from government, let them give the children scholarship, give me and my brother-in-law jobs. My wife’s mother and grandmother are still alive; she is the first daughter of her family and I am the first son of my family too. This load is too much for me and I don’t know where to start.”
[Sunday Vanguard]
@iam_dmEca
March 24, 2014 at 11:45 PM
nawa o! Take heart my fellow man… Such is life anyway… RIP the deasease
iron bar
March 25, 2014 at 12:44 AM
This is what u get from insensitive govt..the nis and minister went to attend plateau gov,s party when the enrolment was going on and later blamed the applicants for the mayhem..they ought to be fired by now
Freddie Guarin
March 25, 2014 at 1:02 AM
Laziness is killing u why must u wait for your wife to do anything
go into farming and stop complaining
Barakat
March 25, 2014 at 1:50 AM
If can’t say anything nice, then don’t say anything at all, your comment was rude, unkind and just cold to say about this poor man that just lost his wife, what type of person are you.
plain
March 25, 2014 at 4:45 AM
U must be a cold hearted wicked fellow freddie Guarin, let me think……….may b u are related to either NIS oga@ d top or d minister bcos u sound like a very comfortable fellow dat does not knw d hell Nigerians are going tru. Shame on u.
mudachi
March 25, 2014 at 4:58 AM
in swahili we say “leo ni kwangu kesho ni kwako”. Freddie Only Jesus has our final say, don’t judge this poor man pliz. u never know what your 2moro holds
Justice
March 25, 2014 at 6:40 AM
Really, it sadens me that u cud talk of the laziness of a man who said he operates a business centre where people watch ‘soccer’. Is it a crime to seek for a better life in one’s country?. Let me ask u, what r d privileges of being a citizen of this country?. If u r comfortable then u shud help the man bt if u’ve got no calmy or consoling words to say, just stay aback and don’t comment. There’s nothing as real as dis life. Nobody knows what may happen to one’s life tomorrow thatz why we need nt to judge others if we aren’t in their shoes. Stay cool
Ngozi
March 25, 2014 at 10:23 PM
Please can somebody remove or block that post by ‘LAZY’Freddie. Is inhuman.
kalid
March 25, 2014 at 8:57 AM
no one knows tommorrow freddie .. do not use harsh and rude words on people like that because even the oga,s at the top dont know their end,s too . be wise Nigerians
chichi
March 25, 2014 at 11:02 AM
Freddie, you are a sadist, how could you say this to your fellow man. If this man is lazy do you think he would be looking for a job, Haba, my brother, such words can bring the rot of God to you.
I blame the people that conducted the interview, why did they lock the big gate, knowing fully that candidates are many. My brother accept my sympathy.
Adex
March 25, 2014 at 11:16 AM
I do not knw why somepple re so sensiless on hw 2 contribute on d issue like dis.Freddie u need 2 be check vry wel,i dont think u ve sometin upstairs @ all.Hw does ur comment corresponds 2 wat dis man said.That ur comment shd go 2 ur elder brother bloody animal OPONU.
phyno
March 25, 2014 at 2:00 PM
freddie u re a big foo..
D Hunter
March 25, 2014 at 4:35 PM
I dnt intend 2 waste my precious tym talkn 2 a creature wt a dead conscience lk freddie. He needs some treatments on his mindset.
I pity u Mr. Austin, pls accept my hrtfelt sympathy on d death of ur beloved wife n moda of ur kids… May God Himself wipe away ur tears.
Dis is d kind of needs Nigeria Govt is surposed 2 direct dia attention 2 bt, “Alas“ they prefare 2 sponsor some already established actors & actresses 2 go 4 4da studies in Colorado wt a whopping training sum of N150MILLION.
Gv dis man just N10M n his children school fees, his business n general upkeeps wld b tkn care of. May God help him.
Udy
March 25, 2014 at 6:19 PM
Rip ,God knw’s y
OmoKehinde
March 26, 2014 at 8:40 PM
It sad that we live in country where many of our citizens doesn’t know right from wrong. How can any reasonable, sensitive, and sensible person blame a man whose wife was murdered in her country simply for seeking government job? The deceased left this poor man with these three motherless children. It’s also shocking that none of these wicked people blaming this innocent man calls for judgement or prosecution of the killer of twenty of our fellow citizens. But what strucked me the most is the compensation announced by our criminal government under the leadership of the most stupid president in Nigerian history. This do – nothing president announced that three job slots will be awarded automatically to members of each of the deceased. Can any one of these young kids take those nonsense job slots compensation announced by this criminal government? Three weeks after the murder of these innocent Nigerians by the NIS controller general and his wicked team, no one has been charged to court for this inhumane crime. But some wicked people have the guts to called this man unpleasant names on this media. This man and those motherless kids have no blame, but our criminal politicians and their lack of agenda or economy plan for the betterment of millions of able Nigerians are fully responsible for the murder of twenty Nigerian citizens. President Badluck Jonathan should announce a better, reasonable and sensible compensation to all the families of those that were killed by his government officials.