Writer, Mashat Alfred Makut aka Munatare Munashak from Plateau State has narrated how a patient absconded from Plateau Hospital Farm House to go and pay ransom to kidnappers who abducted his sister-in-law, a University of Jos student.
According to Makut, who was admitted at the same hospital, the patient was on drip when he received several calls from the kidnappers that they abducted his wife’s sister around 4:am on Sunday, June 6, 2021, along Bauchi road.
Read below:
While making his remark on democracy day church service at the Government House Chapel on the 6th of June, 202, Governor Simon Bako Lalong told the congregation that he receives security reports every day as Governor of Plateau and the 19 Northern states.
He said “even this morning, I received a report that two security men were killed around the University of Jos, Bauchi road.
“We as a Government are doing something about it and the results will manifest in the days ahead”, Lalong pleaded.
This writer was amongst the congregation, and after the service, he proceeded for a routine medical check-up at the hospital that ended up in admission for close observation.
Read Makut’s post below:
While taking my first drip, a nurse on duty dashed in panting that the patient opposite my bed absconded and her supervisor and doctors on call are on her neck for letting the patient who was brought in the previous day unconscious leave without the Doctors permission.
As the day was winding into the night, the young man appeared with a lady and two of his brothers smiling and singing victorious songs to the delight of everyone in the male ward of the plateau hospital, Dadin Kowa.
The nurse that took over duty was excited to see that the patient was back as he surprisingly asked why he absconded? The Patient narrated the story;
While I was on a drip, I received several calls from kidnappers that they kidnapped my wife’s sister around 4 am on Sunday, 6th June 2021 along Bauchi road in their house where students stay, she is from Jigawa and she just came back in time to resume the University of Jos. The kidnappers were five in number, they demanded 10 million ransom and I pleaded that I am on admission at the hospital, after a long bargain, we agreed at four hundred thousand naira (400,000,00) and they told me to bring the money along Naraguta hostel to Tilden Fulani -Bauchi road, some rocks that look like a cave, they said I should bring 6 loaves of bread, 4 lacasera and 2 yoghurts as they have been in the bush with no food since the time of the kidnap in the morning.
When I got there, three of them came out of hiding to collect the money and they are all young boys that speak fulfude, they are younger than me as they can’t be more than 20- 25 years of age, they said hope I didn’t put poison on the bread and they collected the money before bringing my in-law out from the rocks, thank God they didn’t even touch her as they returned her phones”, he narrated.
The victim who was the lady with him as the nurses lay him down to continue his drip and medication narrated how she was kidnapped.
“I was sleeping around 4 am then I started hearing bang on the door, I heard my neighbours screaming barawo barawo but I was still in my sleep then bang the door opened and I saw some boys holding guns and knives and they told me to get up and follow them, from their voices they are Fulani and they told me to co-operate with them or they will kill me, that’s how they took me away to their hideouts in the rocks and started calling my family to bring ransome, one of them wanted to molest me but when I pleaded in Hausa and he heard my intonation, he asked where I am from and I said Jigawa and he left me alone. I thank God that this trauma is now over and I am rescued, I cannot go back to that house again, I am leaving that area as it is no longer safe.”
While the kidnappers’ story wowed everyone at the ward from the sick patients to the caregivers, a case of emergency was rushed into the hospital around 8 pm, a case of a cholera outbreak from Riyom, the patient was unconscious, as the Nurses and Doctors battled to resuscitate the young man to bring him back to life in darkness, as there was no light, there was no water running in the tap or even in the drums, the worst part of it is that the family that brought the man needed to go and buy drugs from the nearby pharmacy.
The nurses and doctors battled and they stabilized the man who got himself in the morning as the darkness lingered into the morning light that came from the windows.
How many lives do we lose on a daily that could have been saved at the primary health care centres due to lack of basic health facilities and neglect of the general hospitals? How many more persons will be kidnapped before the kidnappers’ den are ransacked?
How many more victims and their families will have to undergo the trauma of having their loved ones killed, kidnapped or left to die due to neglect and insecurity?
As we mark another democracy day (June 12), let us know that the security architecture is not working and every Community needs to evolve its own security architecture that suits its local environment, call it state police or local government police.
A state of emergency should be declared at the primary health care centres and general hospitals where quality healthcare should be accorded to all citizens, especially those that cannot afford expensive health care.
Let’s think Plateau and Act Plateau by saving lives.
Munatare Munashak reporting from Plateau Hospital Farmhouse.
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com