Abuja blast: Son injured, husband missing

Mrs Uche Ojeh, the mother of a victim of Wednesday’s bomb blast at EMAB Plaza, Wuse 2, Abuja, is still searching for her husband, who is suspected to have been caught in the tragedy.

Ojeh’s son, Michael Ojeh, a newspaper vendor, was cut in the head as result of the blast.

“My son sells newspapers at Banex Plaza, while my husband is a taxi driver who normally plies that Banex route,” she said tearfully.

“Yesterday, I got a call from somebody who said that my son was involved in the blast, and that I should come to Maitama District Hospital. I left what I was doing and hurriedly went to the hospital. And truly, I saw my son with a deep cut in his head and leg.

“I tried calling his father, but his phone was switched off. We later went to the mortuary to check if his body was there, but we did not find him.

“We suspect he was caught up in the unfortunate incident because his taxi was badly burnt. We have searched some hospitals, but we have not found him. His brother and my older son are still searching for him. I don’t know what to do What will I do now? Where do I go to?”

Another person fatally affected by the blast is Suleiman Yusuf, who lost his fiancée, Aisha Abubakar.

“We were all there when the blast occurred. We were lucky. However, I did not know that my fiancée was dead until I started carrying the bodies,” a visibly grief-stricken Yusuf said.

“I am devastated. My younger brother too had a deep cut in the leg. We thank God he didn’t die in the blast. Only God can help us in this country because the government is not doing anything about security.

“Imagine the ‘class people’ who were killed yesterday, petty traders who were innocent. The government keeps saying that it is doing something, but the truth is it is not doing anything.”

Ikechukwu Agu is also searching for his brother-in-law, who is suspected to have been killed in the blast.

He explained: “My in-law, Uwadiegwu Ugwu’s car was burnt unrecognizably. We suspect he was badly burnt because some of the bodies in the mortuary were not recognizable. When we find his body, then we will know what to say to the government.”

For Kolawole Mohammed, whose brother, Lukman Mohammed, was only wounded in the back, he is full of thanks to God.

“I thank God he is alive; he left 5 minutes before the blast to pray at the mosque,” he said. “God saved him. I thank God. However, I wonder when this will end.”

A sullen feeling pervaded the Maitama District Hospital on Thursday, as relatives of victims mourned their loved ones who were killed in the blast.