What is your name?
My name is Nkem Chidebelu. I am a student
of the University of Jos. My mother, Monica Chidebelu, died in the bomb
blast. She was 62 years old.
How did you know your mum was affected?
I 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. We went to several
hospitals to look for her but we did not find her. There were also
conflicting reports in some hospitals.When we described her, we were
told some people had come to claim the body. But we later found out it
wasn’t true. We prayed and hoped that she would be alive. But none of us
could sleep that night. When we finally started asking people who also
had shops at the railways side of the terminus, we got more clues
because they said they knew my mum. They told us to check the Plateau
Hospital Mortuary.
How did you eventually find and identify your mother’s body?
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.
What went through your mind when you recognised her?
I fell on the floor and wept profusely.
Others in the mortuary were also wailing. I cried so much because I made
her promises which I cannot fulfil now. 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. My dad is a strong man. Inside his heart, he was weeping,
but you know as a man, he couldn’t cry out then, but the tears filled
his eyes, and his lips and body were shaking. He moved out of the room
and asked them to carry my siblings and I home.
What do you think about the incident?
Let me be honest, I don’t want to lay
blames but the security men in that area are not good at their job. I
remember that some people said the security people came with a bomb
detector after the first blast. They could have at least gone round to
check properly, but they did not do that. 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.
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