In a very touching tale of pain and sadness, a student of the University of Jos, Nkem Chidebelu, who lost her 62-year-old mother, Monica Chidebelu, in Jos explosion said she sometimes regrets being Nigerian because of security situation in the country.
In an interview, Nkem Chidebelu told how she found out that her mother was affected by the explosion and how she had to identify her mother's body.
According to grieving daughter, she was at the main campus when it happened. "I heard some people saying that the blasts took place near the Jos University Teaching Hospital, and that was close to where my mum sold oranges and banana. She moved to that place when they chased them away from the previous spot she occupied.
"When I wanted to come down to the blast scene, one of my lecturers restrained me and told me to calm down. Later my twin sister told me about the blasts," Nkem said.
Together with her twin sister Nkem went to several hospitals to look for mother but they did not find her that day. "We prayed and hoped that she would be alive. None of us could sleep that night," she admited.
Next day, they started asking people who also had shops at the railways side of the terminus and were sent to check the Plateau Hospital Mortuary.
"We saw her at the Plateau Hospital. Although her clothes were burnt, some were still hanging on her neck, while her hair was not burnt. I recognised a piece of her cloth, because we had called home to ask what colour and type of cloth she wore. I also recognised her ear rings because I bought them for her."
"Despite recognising her clothes, we were still hoping that it would not be her. But when my dad came, wore hand gloves and turned her body over to show her face, the reality finally dawned on us. Every one of us was wailing. Her body was completely burnt. It was like a roasted chicken. I don’t know how to describe it," Nkem Chidebelu said.
Nkem Chidebelu doesn't blame anyone but believes that if the security men did their job properly, nobody would have been harmed. "Many other people I know were affected. My neighbour and her baby died. The baby’s head was severed and the mother’s body was mangled. Also, I would say the government is not trying. Sometimes I regret being Nigerian. Government should do more to protect us because Nigeria has enough resources to do this," she concluded.culled
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