Since I bluffly went silent some months ago, some of my readers have been traversing the landscape with all sorts of allusions that I may have been settled (implying that I may have collected a bribe from the corrupt government of the day), to stop writing critical articles against the government. I don’t have a price, I can’t be settled.
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I am doing what I do not because of money or am I seeking attention so as to get some favour from the government. Though, we live in a capitalist society where money ruins and rules, but humanist ideals underline my journalistic and activist endeavours. Good writing is an unusual activity. The ability to defend and propagate truth heroically no matter what happens to my flesh is my utmost task.
Travelling to any parts of Nigeria nowadays either by air, land or sea is really an extremely dangerous venture. Anytime I hit the air, land or sea I always write my testament as one going to die and wouldn’t return. I am sorry if this sounds pessimistic and scaring. I don’t intend to scare any one but just stating the facts of the matter, our space is not safe. Air-travel is supposed to be the safest, but ours is different. The domestic planes are not in stable conditions; some of our airports don’t have radar. Radar is a system used for detecting aircraft and others in air space within range; if we don’t have it at our airports, we should prepare for more air mishap. There are disasters that are avoidable, let’s save our lives and do the correct thing.
The same insecurity associated with sea journey, applies to sea craft, unsecured seaways. What an unsecured society! The roads seem to be more dangerous than others. Our roads are riddled with deep pits that one needs a wooden canoe to travel from one point to another. The devil-may-care attitude of drivers and conductors also heightens the carnage on our roads. No one is safe in Nigeria. Michael Lenee Gbarale, the 35-year-old activist is the latest victim of a desperate driver and his conductor, armed security guard and thugs from Chisco Transport Nigeria Limited. On the night of Wednesday, November 4, 2009, as the vice-chairman of the Peoples Action for Democracy (PAD), a new pro-democracy coalition had mobilized other activists from his south-south zone to participate in a protest march in Abuja, Nigeria’s midpoint of corruption. Gbarale and co were to arrive Abuja the following Thursday, to participate in a march organized by Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL). To protest against the apparent manipulation of Justice Mercel Awokulehin, the trial judge in the former Delta State governor, James Ibori corruption case in Asaba, Delta State capital, by Chief Michael Aondoakaa, Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. Ibori through the efforts of his comrade-in-corruption, Aondoakaa handpicked Justice Awokulehin as his judge. What a terrifying enclave of corruption!
Terror of the night and the insecurity of our system, about 17.12pm, the Chisco Transport Company had assigned a tottering long bus with the following inscriptions, “Kaduna, XA 485 KRA”, to convey over 40 passengers in it, to Abuja. Unknown to the passengers they were Abuja and Lagos passengers and, the two locations are far away from one another. About 11.00pm, the Chisco bus broke down around the Akwu-Ukwu Area, few kilometers before Onitsha, the chaotic market town of Anambra State. Gbarale and his co-travellers were stranded about 5 hours; all appeals by the passengers to be transferred to another bus fell on the deaf ears of the wild and rude driver and his crew members, reluctantly, a motor mechanic was called in, to repair the vehicle which he did, and about 4,50am, the journey commenced and at 5.30am (in the morning), they arrived the Chisco Terminal in Onitsha. The driver parked the bus there, and told the passengers he was not going to Abuja any longer, and that the passengers should look for another vehicle.
Michael Gbarale and other passengers protested loudly again, that they should be given a new bus, to take them to Abuja or refund their fare, Gbarale led the agitation. From the Akwu-Ukwu to Onitsha Chisco bus “revolts”, Gbarale was visible; the Chisco crew noticed him and marked him for elimination. As they disembarked from the bus at the Chisco terminal the Chisco driver whose name was given as Mr. Nnandi, looked at Gbarale with a purpose and said awfully, “You have been talking too much. You will die today”. No sooner had Nnandi uttered the death threat, than a gun shot roared from the security officer locally fabricated weapon called, “Akwa”. Gbarale was hurt by the officer’s bullet and became unconscious; he fell down, oozing out rivers of blood from the left hand side of his head. Still thirsty for more blood of a half dead Gbarale, the driver, Nnandi and his conductor picked separate corroded iron rods and struck Gbarale’s forehead, his condition deteriorated. He was abandoned in his pool of blood by the Chisco vindictive staff. The chisco’s security officer’s is called Emeka Omale.
Nigeria is such a brutal and bleak society. The heart-breaking incident took place few metres away from a major police checkpoint, and the police officers there behaved so indifferently as if nothing was happening, rather they were busy extorting money from poor commercial motorists at a checkpoint they had raised. It was a compassionate Okada driver who mobilized others and took him to Pieta Hospital, a Roman Catholic Church Hospital. There was no doctor on duty at the hospital; the nurses tried their best to give life back to the sufferer. The situation was too critical, the nurses couldn’t perform magic, his head had swollen and he experienced severe pains in his head and teeth. He was later transferred to Multicare Hospital, a medical centre located at Omoba Phase II, Onitsha that specializes in treatment of gun shot injuries. There a more professional stitching was done, and Michael Gbarale gained consciousness.
On Friday, November 6, 2009, the gloomy news of the shooting of Michael Gbarale unrolled to and fro. The Anambra branch of the Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) heard it through the Rivers State branch of CLO. The Anambra CLO waded into the matter, because the incident happened within their territory. The CLO activists hired a bus to convey the victim to the Braithwaite Memorial Hospital (BMH) in Port Harcourt where he was referred to, for further treatment. Amidst the torment, Chisco Transport refused to pay for the treatment of Gbarale, rather what they were busy doing, was to mobilize the heavily armed Anambra State Vigilantee Services (ASVS), thugs and men of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to further threaten the victim and his other followers.
Gbarale is a young man I had met some years ago, at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. He is such an honest, sincere and passionate person. As part of a progressive pro-democracy movement then, we had stormed the campus to mobilize students to confront the military junta of General Sani Abacha. Gbarale was recruited into our movement, since my first encounter with him, we had remained in touch until date. The trial of Michael Lenee Gbarale in the hands of the Chisco Transport Company Limited killer squad has been quite afflictive and vexatious. We shouldn’t allow Chisco and its staff to go unpunished this time around. Gbarale now suffers a permanent disability due to Chisco’s wickedness, and they must be made to pay for this now or never.
Naagbanton writes from Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
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