Nnamdi Onuegbu, a 40-year-old father of five in Ezi Ibiam, Unwana community in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, went through the valley of death and returned. But he is no longer the way he was created.
Onuegbu said he rented out his shovel to a man popularly known as Big Do from a nearby village for N3,000. But the labourer neither returned the shovel nor paid the agreed fee after use.
Onuegbu was in his shop where he repaired generators when Big Do reportedly came from behind and hit him on the head with a sharp object. He collapsed on the spot and lost consciousness. The attack gave him serious injuries on the head as well as internally.
His attacker thought that he died and ran to the police station in the community for protection. The victim was taken to different hospitals in Unwana community and Afikpo town for medical treatment. The suspect, it was gathered, eventually wangled his way out of police and is allegedly nowhere to be found.
Saturday Sun learnt that the hospitals in Unwana and Afikpo where Onuegbu was taken to, all rejected him. They referred him to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA) where he could be revived. But he was dumped in his house for days apparently because of lack of money to take him to the teaching hospital.
However, after three days, one of his relatives summoned courage and took him to AE-FUTHA. At the teaching hospital, treatment commenced on the victim after he had been placed on life support. Head surgery was conducted on him when he regained consciousness.
Today, Onuegbu is alive to tell his story. He has big scars all over his head. He has also lost the use of his left eye.
He has been discharged by the hospital but is being detained pending payment of his medical bill totalling about N350,000. There is no money to pay the bill, so, he is still in the hospital expecting help from any quarters to enable him go home and start life all over.
But the real challenge is what the devastated technician will be doing for survival when he eventually leaves the hospital. This is because while he was on the sick bed, villagers concluded that he was dead and were waiting for his burial as they could not hear anything about him. Some criminal ones among them then burgled his shop, poultry and fishery farms that also served as his means of livelihood. They looted all the things inside these places. His residence was also looted.
When our reporter visited Onuegbu at the hospital in Abakaliki, he narrated his ordeal: “It’s now three months that the incident happened though I can’t remember the exact date because I was unconscious and in a pool of blood. I was almost dead before I was brought to Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA).
“I was not disturbing the person that attacked me, I didn’t disturb him over the N3,000 he owed me to warrant what he did to me. We had no issues over the debt. So, I was very surprised that he could do this to me. I don’t know his name; I only know him as Big Do that he is popularly called. His father is also known as Big Do and they are from Ezi Oti Inya also in Unwana.
“I gave him the shovel to use and work and charged him N3,000. But he didn’t return the shovel to me. He took it home and told me that it had been stolen and that he gave someone N3,000 to give me, yet no money was given to me.
“When I regained consciousness, I asked my mother who is taking care of me in the hospital what happened to me. She told me that someone who was owing me attacked me which landed me in this hospital.
“He gave me serious physical and internal head injuries and I was taken to a mission hospital, Mater hospital, Afikpo. The hospital referred me to a private hospital in Afikpo known as His Grace. His Grace referred me to AE-FUTHA but I was taken to a hospital in my community and the hospital rejected me and I was kept in my house. I was bleeding profusely while I was kept in the house and people didn’t believe that I was alive.
“Three days later, I saw myself in a different environment with pipes inside my nose. I started seeing pipes inserted in my head with blood running through them inside a gallon. My mother told me that I had a head surgery in the hospital.
“The people in my place don’t believe that I am alive. Even till now, they are saying that I am dead and that I am now in the mortuary. The guy that attacked me ran to the police station thinking that I died from the attack but I am not sure if he is still in the police station, I don’t know where he is now.”
Onuegbu lamented that ever since the incident occurred, his attacker’s father has not shown concern over what happened. He disclosed that some of Big Do’s relations have been running around to see what they could do regarding the hospital bill.
He, however, thanked God for saving his life even though he has lost one of his eyes. He vowed that he would, henceforth, worship God all the days of his life.
He called on government, public-spirited individuals and organizations to assist him in clearing the hospital bill and starting life again when he returns home.
“I was billed N349,310 by the hospital and no part payment has been made at all. We have spent a lot of money here. God has done his wonderful works for me. I am alive today to tell the story. I thank God for that; I didn’t die, I am alive and I want to be worshipping God now because he is good to me. He has saved me from death.
“This my left eye that is closed now is because of what that guy hit me on the head. This left eye was functioning like the right one before he attacked me. So, the attack affected my left eye and no treatment has been given to me on it. The hospital management said I will be given some treatment on it if I clear the hospital bill.
“I am appealing to government and people to help me and pay my hospital bill. I also need support to enable me start my business since people have burgled my shop. They looted everything I was selling before this my condition now. I was doing fishery and poultry business before this incident. I was also repairing generators.
“I am a father of five. My wife and children have gone to Cross River State where she hails from. I have advised them to remain there so that my mother in-law can be feeding them since I can’t cater for them anymore because of this attack,” he lamented.
One of Onuegbu’s relatives, Beverlyn Egwuagha, said it has not been easy catering for him and his mother in the hospital in Abakaliki.
She described the patient as a hardworking man who can do any legitimate work for survival and called for assistance for him.
“He is my cousin. This incident happened last three months, on a Tuesday in Unwana; and they took him to a hospital in Afikpo for medical treatment. The doctors there referred them to Abakaliki, but they went back to Unwana, maybe because of money.
“He slept with the heavy wounds his attacker inflicted him on the head. The following day, one of my aunts took him to that hospital in Afikpo and the hospital repeated that they couldn’t handle his case. Another of our cousin then took him to a mission hospital in Afikpo, Mater and the hospital referred them to AE-FUTHA.
“So, that my cousin put them inside a car to Abakaliki and went back to our village to get certain things. On Friday of the week Nnamdi was attacked, AE-FUTHA conducted a surgery on him. I came to the hospital and saw that a surgery had been conducted on him and he was taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where he stayed for five days after which he was brought to the ward which is where we are today. But, thank God he is alive because no one believed that he will survive what happened to him. But he is alive today.
“It has not been easy taking care of him, I have been providing whatever the hospital required since the surgery. His age grade in the village and our kinsmen have supported him but their support is not enough, their support didn’t go far,” Egwuagha lamented.
She said that Onuegbu was discharged over a month ago yet he is still in the hospital because of his inability to pay the medical bill. She disclosed that the hospital has not given him the privilege for check-ups because he has not paid his bill.
She further said: “Today, he doesn’t see with one eye though it seems to be opening. He complains that he doesn’t see with that eye, that the eye is totally dark. If he peradventure closes the other good eye, he just veers off the road. So, this is the stage we are today. We really need help to make him leave the hospital. And how he’s going to survive after returning home since they have stolen and also destroyed all he had. When he was taken to this hospital, they thought that he’s gone and they destroyed his only means of livelihood. They broke into his shop, they broke into his home, they broke into his farm. So, I don’t know how he is going to survive.”
Meanwhile, Chairman of Afikpo Local Government area, Uchenna Ibiam, who got wind of the matter, has defrayed Onuegbu’s hospital bill totalling N359,000.
Ibiam sent some members of the community on Thursday to the teaching hospital where they cleared the bill, making the troubled technician a free man.
Peoplesmind