Anthony Iwuoma
When trouble comes, it does not ring a bell. If it does, victims would do everything to avert it.
Or which parents would be told that they would lose a child and wait till it happens, not to talk of losing up to three or four children at a go.
If you think it was only the biblical Job that lost many children in one day, it means you are not current, as there have been many similar cases in today’s world.
The calamity that befell the Igboamara family, who lost of their children in
flood in Sulejah, Niger state in one day, in 2020 is still a hurting memory.
It is was a bitter twist of fate, because the bereaved mother of the children, Dr. (Mrs.) Peace Igboamara whose lot it was, as a medical practitioner, who saves lives, could not save her own.
Unfortunately, she did not just lose one child; she lost four in one fell swoop.
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These are not mere children but stars in the making. The eldest, Wisdom Ugochukwu Igboamara, was a 300-level student of Department of Pharmaceutical Studies, University of Benin, while his 18-year-old sister, was a first year undergraduate student of same University of Benin.
The other daughter, Dominion Udechukwu Igboamara, was an SS1 student of Immaculate Sacred Heart School here in Suleja with the last girl in the family, Destiny Igbochukwu, 11.
The devil had come calling on that ill-fated Friday, July 24, 2020 when flood submerged the family home and many others, claiming the lives of the four promising stars.
The downpour of that day lasted for about four hours, causing the nearby river to overflow its banks and wreaked havoc on the people
Narrating her ordeal to evidently sorrowful Niger State Governor, Sani Bello, who visited with his team, the distraught medic said: “What happened here was a disaster and it was like a dream to me that my four children are gone; gone as a result of flood. I am just waking up from the reality. I’m yet to come to the reality that my children are no more.
“My husband and I had been living with my six kids, but today I am left with only two kids. Others are gone; they have gone to meet the Lord,” she lamented.
However, the distraught mother, like Job, took solace in the Lord.
“I know there is comfort from above and God will give us the grace because we all are human beings. The most important thing is just to let us make peace with God.” I am grateful that the governor came to commiserate with us. But please forgive us for inadvertently building our house on river channel. Government should come to our aid.
Indeed, it was a disaster. So it also was for Chukwudi Michael and Bola, his wife, who, on June 25, 2022 lost four of their children, to a mysterious fire that gutted their home.
The grieving father had told The Punch, that he did not know what caused the fire that claimed the lives of the unfortunate quartet, Prayer, Trust-in-God, Jeremiah, and Ebube.
The couple now have eight-year-old Esther, the lone surviving child, to console them.
According to Michael: “On Saturday, June 25, 2022, I was with my wife and five children inside my apartment when NEPA brought light. I woke up to discover that they had brought light, then I switched over to NEPA and went back to bed. About 1:30am, I heard my son shouting ‘fire, fire’. Then I went outside the house and discovered a huge fire.
“I started calling my neighbours. People came out to help us. Unfortunately, one of our sons, Jeremiah, died instantly in the fire. I brought my son, Prayer, out. I brought out my son, Trust-in-God, and my son, Ebube. They were already injured in the fire. I live in a room and parlour ‘self contained’ apartment with my wife and five children.
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“We took them to Ikorodu General Hospital. They did the little they could and referred us to Gbagada General Hospital.
“I don’t know what caused the fire.
“Prayer was 18; he had taken SSCE. Trust was 15; Trust was planning to take the SSCE next year. Jeremiah was in SS1. Ebube was in primary 6.”
Bola bemoaned her fate, saying: “I don’t know who I offended that will want to do this; that will come and destroy my children — the children that I laboured for, then come and take all of them from me.
“At the hospital, they were still responding and crying that they wanted water. But the nurses advised against that. At Ikeja, another child gave up. After that, another gave up. I had to call my pastor to take me away.”
Michael’s tragedy is similar to that of a family that lost all three children to unknown fire outbreak in a two-bedroom flat of Jesus College Quarters, Otukpo, Otukpo LGA, Benue State, in 2021.
The father of the victims, Ochoche Ode, recalled that the fire was noticed midnight on the fateful day by his wife’s younger sister, who perceived the smell that something was burning while three of his kids were asleep.
NAN reported that the man was in one of the rooms with his wife when they were alerted of the incident.
“As I was about going to find out what was happening, the fire surged covering the whole room where my kids were sleeping and in an attempt to force myself into the room to rescue the children; my face got badly burnt.
“All attempts by neighbours to quell the fire failed and all my three children were burnt to death,” Mr. Ode said, with the cause of the fire still unknown.
Also, in July, 2022, among other victims, the National Emergency Agency, NEMA reported that three children of the same parents were killed in Lagos flood.
The trio, Michael, 18, Elizabeth, 17, and Timi, 14, were trying to relocate from the room they resided in at the uncompleted main building of Mercy of Christ Apostolic Church, when they were swept away by the rampaging flood.
The youngest of the siblings, Timi, while trying to climb the plank linking their room to the church building, reportedly slipped and was carried away by the flood.
An attempt by the others to rescue him proved fatal, as they too were overpowered by the flood and swept away.
In the same vein, Nigerians will not forget in as hurry the tragic incident, involving 17 pupils of Omole Primary School in Omole area of Ojodu in Lagos State in December, 2021.
A trailer driver, who was allegedly escaping from operatives of LASTMA had lost control of the articulated vehicle and rammed into students at the Grammar School Bus Stop along Ogunnusi Road in Ojodu Local Council Development Area, crushing 17 of them to death, including three pupils of the same parents.
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Now, Chukwudi and Bolani Michael, the Lagos couple who lost four of their children to a midnight fire at their two-room apartment on Tapa Road, Oke-Oko, Isawo, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, last month, are facing grueling times since that incident. The tragedy did not only consume their children but also destroyed their property and business.
“The fire incident not only claimed the lives of our children, but also took our means of livelihood. We do not know how to move on from here,” Michael stated while appealing to fel lol ow Nigerians to come to their aid.
“God has been our support but we need Nigerians to help us get back on our feet. The sudden incident left us with no room to prepare. While nursing the heartache of losing our boys, we have to find our footings.”
Bola, who is yet to overcome the trauma of losing four children at once added: “We don’t know where to begin because we don’t have a place to stay and we are currently living with our pastor. Thank God for some good Samaritans, who gave us clothes and some items to manage. We can’t always live with our pastor; we just pray that God will bring us back on our feet.”