Boy loses eye to political violence in Akwa Ibom
March 22nd is a day that Ekom Mac Inem will never forget in his entire life. Indeed, he still remembers that the day was a Tuesday and that the incident that happened to him that makes the day unforgettable happened around 4pm.
“I was coming back from school, Community Commercial School in Ikot-Ubo, Uyo on that day, March 22nd. I was on an okada. I didn’t know that there was political campaigning going on. But when we encountered the campaigners, they attacked us.”
According to him, he and the okada rider were attacked by the campaigners because the helmets they wore bore the inscription Godswill 2012.
“The campaigners were the opposition to the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio. When they saw us wearing his helmet, they ran after us and stopped our okada. They asked for the helmets. When the bikeman refused to give it to them, they began to beat him. As I was pleading with them to leave the bikeman, they began to beat me too. They collected the helmets from us forcefully and began hitting us with them.”
Unluckily for Inem, one of his assailants hit him repeatedly on the right eye with the helmet. “The pain was so much that I fell down. I was bleeding profusely in my right eye. The bikeman ran away but I couldn’t because of my wounded eye. Eventually, they left me alone. I lay there helpless until a Good Samaritan came along. He lifted me and took me home. He dropped me outside so they wouldn’t accuse him of hurting me.”
Even though Inem’s sister wasn’t at home, one of his neighbours rushed him to a chemist who only cleaned his face and advised them to go to a hospital.
“There was a riot in town so the hospital we could go to was a strictly maternity hospital. The doctor wasn’t even on duty but they called him and he came because they told him my injury was serious. H e was the one who stitched the wound between my eyes and said my right eye was condemned and that I should take it to an eye clinic.”
At that point, Inem couldn’t see from the two eyes. After the doctor’s intervention, he began seeing from the left eye. But he was still in a lot of pain.
The following day, at an eye clinic, Inem’s eye was dressed in plaster and they recommended him to the Federal Medical Centre, Uyo for further intervention. But there was no doctor at FMC so his sister suggested they go to a Mercy Eye Clinic in Abak, Uyo.
“At Mercy Eye Clinic, we saw doctor who gave me injections and admitted me. The next day, he removed my damaged right eye. I was unconscious for three days after the removal. Then a month after, when they were sure that all my wounds were healed, they gave me an artificial eye.”
Inem’s elder brother, Aniefiok, is however very bitter about his condition. “My brother has lost his sight to unnecessary political violence. Even though he has one eye, he can’t see properly again. He can’t cross the road on his own and he even hits the wall sometimes in broad daylight.”
Confirming Aniefiok’s claims, Inem said, “I can’t see clearly. I still feel pains. My problem is most painful to me because of my education. With my condition, I can only read by bringing a book very, very close to my eye, so how can I survive in school where the teacher writes on the blackboard?”
Aniefiok however feels that the Akwa Ibom State Government should come to Inem’s aid. “The state government should wade into his issue so he doesn’t feel like an outcast. Anyone who has undergone what he has might feel unwanted and unvalued until the government helps him. And since he keeps complaining of pains, and he can’t see clearly, I believe the state government should fly him to India for proper treatment.”
“I was coming back from school, Community Commercial School in Ikot-Ubo, Uyo on that day, March 22nd. I was on an okada. I didn’t know that there was political campaigning going on. But when we encountered the campaigners, they attacked us.”
According to him, he and the okada rider were attacked by the campaigners because the helmets they wore bore the inscription Godswill 2012.
“The campaigners were the opposition to the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio. When they saw us wearing his helmet, they ran after us and stopped our okada. They asked for the helmets. When the bikeman refused to give it to them, they began to beat him. As I was pleading with them to leave the bikeman, they began to beat me too. They collected the helmets from us forcefully and began hitting us with them.”
Unluckily for Inem, one of his assailants hit him repeatedly on the right eye with the helmet. “The pain was so much that I fell down. I was bleeding profusely in my right eye. The bikeman ran away but I couldn’t because of my wounded eye. Eventually, they left me alone. I lay there helpless until a Good Samaritan came along. He lifted me and took me home. He dropped me outside so they wouldn’t accuse him of hurting me.”
Even though Inem’s sister wasn’t at home, one of his neighbours rushed him to a chemist who only cleaned his face and advised them to go to a hospital.
“There was a riot in town so the hospital we could go to was a strictly maternity hospital. The doctor wasn’t even on duty but they called him and he came because they told him my injury was serious. H e was the one who stitched the wound between my eyes and said my right eye was condemned and that I should take it to an eye clinic.”
At that point, Inem couldn’t see from the two eyes. After the doctor’s intervention, he began seeing from the left eye. But he was still in a lot of pain.
The following day, at an eye clinic, Inem’s eye was dressed in plaster and they recommended him to the Federal Medical Centre, Uyo for further intervention. But there was no doctor at FMC so his sister suggested they go to a Mercy Eye Clinic in Abak, Uyo.
“At Mercy Eye Clinic, we saw doctor who gave me injections and admitted me. The next day, he removed my damaged right eye. I was unconscious for three days after the removal. Then a month after, when they were sure that all my wounds were healed, they gave me an artificial eye.”
Inem’s elder brother, Aniefiok, is however very bitter about his condition. “My brother has lost his sight to unnecessary political violence. Even though he has one eye, he can’t see properly again. He can’t cross the road on his own and he even hits the wall sometimes in broad daylight.”
Confirming Aniefiok’s claims, Inem said, “I can’t see clearly. I still feel pains. My problem is most painful to me because of my education. With my condition, I can only read by bringing a book very, very close to my eye, so how can I survive in school where the teacher writes on the blackboard?”
Aniefiok however feels that the Akwa Ibom State Government should come to Inem’s aid. “The state government should wade into his issue so he doesn’t feel like an outcast. Anyone who has undergone what he has might feel unwanted and unvalued until the government helps him. And since he keeps complaining of pains, and he can’t see clearly, I believe the state government should fly him to India for proper treatment.”
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