How I Survived Death By Whiskers

How I survived death by whiskers As the February 14 election approaches, there has been various chaos and troubles around the country. Last Tuesday, one of such happened around Olayinka and Sanusi Street in Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government area of Lagos. FUNMI SALOME JOHNSON spoke with one of the casualties from the scene and how she escaped being killed. It was about 3.30 pm on Tuesday; Mrs. Aladi Akor a widow and a mother of two was preparing to start her Akara business for the day when suddenly she saw people running from Olayinka Street towards Sanusi Street where she was selling along the road, without knowing what was chasing the crowd, she joined in the race to escape whatever danger that may be looming. In course of running for safety, she hit her leg and fell and several others fell on top of her, just then she felt a sharp pain in her throat. She initially felt she had hit her neck on a stone without knowing it was actually a gun shot. “When I felt the sharp pain in my throat, I touched the spot trying to remove the stone; just then I felt blood gushing out of my neck/ throat area and I heard sound of gunshots being shot sporadically with stray bullets hitting people one of which hit me at the throat. After a while I was helped by some boys in my area who rushed me to the hospital. It was a very traumatic day for me” recalled Aladi in an interview. While speaking with our reporter, her daughter Monica she disclosed that she was at work when she was called on phone and told that there had been a fight in the neighbourhood between some boys over APC candidates and that her mother was shot in the process. “When they called to tell me of the incidence, I was scared and confused at the same time. It was so bad for me because I knew how I left home that morning. There was no money; in fact we ate the last grain of rice before leaving home that day with the hope of feeding in the evening from whatever she was able to make from her Akara business. I was so shattered. But I can only thank God for preserving her life,” she said almost in tears. According to her she had to go and borrow from a friend to enable her pay the hospital bills. Mrs Constance Zibe, another resident who has been living in the area for over thirteen years told our correspondent that it was a bloody evening in that area on that fateful day. “I was not around when the fight started; I was at the Boundary market when my daughter called me to inquire where I was. She told me that there had been a serious fight in the area and that they have been shooting sporadically and injuring people with knives and cutlasses and robbing them of their mobile phones and money” Blessing Zibe, the daughter of the former also confirmed that it was a gory sight as unknown men came and started shooting into the air and robbing people of their phones and money. “I saw people running from Olayinka towards Sanusi and so I had to hurriedly pack and lock the shop where we sell outside our house. They were shot severally into the air wounding people and injuring people. They entered the some shops and collected their handsets and money. A lot of people were injured from the stray bullets from the gunshots it was such a horrible sight that day” Mrs Zibe stated that it is not the first time such fights happen in the area. She stated that majority of the boys around are known for such notorious act adding that the forthcoming election has even made issues worse as they engage in all kinds of fights and notorious acts in the name of politics. Inquiring on what may have caused the scene on that Tuesday, Zibe said there were insinuations that the unknown boys were actually from one of the ACP rallies and were arguing about one APC candidate being better than the other. ‘Only God knows what that has to do with the innocent people they shot at and injured. It is such a pathetic situation in this environment,’ she said.