By Frank-Collins Okafor
*Late Dr. Ossy Chinedu: My wife and I nearly became the victims
It was around 8 pm last night (Monday 16th December, 2024) when my wife and I drove around High Tension Aroma Junction by Benjamin Hotel. We were there to settle one of the women that supplied us with some materials for the Cathedral Parish Bazaar held last Sunday.
Being not too sure of the lady’s house, I drove past her residence and needed to turn back. It was a little past Benjamin Hotel. I pulled by the tiny link road to Aroma Junction immediately after the hotel and turned my Corrolla car and waited for the last car on the roll to pass for a space for me since the next car at my back was a few metres away. As soon as I found the space, I rejoined the road without qualms. I could not see clearly who was at my back. It was dark. Darkness hid the faces of the impending danger behind us.
Lo and behold, just in a twinkle of an eye, and as I was about pulling off again on the same lane, we heard a minor car tyre screeching and instantly, two gunshots were fired. It was only the Holy Spirit that knew when my wife and I jumped out of the car and ran into the thick darkness for safety.
On coming back to the scene, the victim’s car had been snatched by the criminals and in the course of their escape, ran over the body of the victim (as narrated by the standbyers). I saw a huge young man in black T-shirt, trousers, and slippers laying helplessly in the middle of the road with blood gushing out around his face. Blood was everywhere. He was motionless. It was too late to help; yes, too late.
With great shocks, I looked at him with pity, but unfortunately, I couldn’t recognise him. The night was so dark and the EEDC, as usual, couldn’t help. Just then, another race for life ensued. We scampered for safety once more as we hurriedly left, and up till now, the trauma of that ugly experience has not left my wife; very traumatic.
It was only some minutes ago and almost on my way to anchor the ongoing Igwe Achebe Lecture Series this morning that I saw on the social media that the very face I saw and couldn’t recognise was that of Dr. Osita Chinedu, who was a great man, great soul and man of honour and goodwill. He was my Secretary as the then HOD of Political Science and served with great dedication and expertise until he converted to the lecturing cadre. It pains me that it was “my boy” that laid looking at me for help in the middle of darkness to no avail; it pains me that I could not do anything to save a “son”, a brother and colleague
Is this how we shall continue to live in a great community like ours? Is this how we shall continue to live here in Awka? Is this how to make our community great again? The joy of living in the capital city is lost to the tears of this recurrent decimal. I am more worried when I saw the whole area very calm without the expected wailings and noise that naturally welcomed such incidents in the past. I asked around and was shocked by the reply. The people at Aroma area are so used to such killings to the extent that their reserved sympathetic tears for such incidents have exhaulted.
Who’s next remains the recurrent question. May we not be the next victim through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns in the unity of the Holy Spirit one God forever and ever. Amen!
As we give all glory to God for our lives, I console his young family and commend the soul of Dr. Ossy Chinedu to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the resurrection and the life. May his soul rest in peace. Amen. Kindly pray for the repose of his soul, please.
*@Frank-Collins Okafor PhD*