By Izunna Okafor, Awka
A five-month-old baby has reportedly died after his father was allegedly arrested and detained by environmental sanitation enforcement officials while rushing to seek emergency medical help during Anambra State’s monthly sanitation exercise.
The incident, which reportedly occurred at Otuocha, the headquarters of Anambra East Local Government Area, has triggered a chain of reactions and public outcry on social media following claims by the bereaved mother about the circumstances that resulted in her child’s death, and how repeated pleas to release her husband were ignored, despite the officials being informed repeatedly that their infant was battling convulsion.
The bereaved mother’s narrative, which was contained in a video currently trending on social media, has also reignited public concerns over the alleged extremism of some government-backed enforcement teams and security officials who not only usually take ill advantage of any given opportunity to play gods or sacrifice their human hearts and oil of kindness at the altar of oppression and cruelty, even in critical and genuine emergency situations.
Recounting the incident amid tears, the child’s mother, Mrs. Chiamaka Anikpee (in a post shared by a social media user, John Sunny-Okosu Mmadubuonu) alleged that the tragedy began in the early hours of Saturday, July 4, when her five-month-old baby suddenly developed convulsion.
According to her, the situation prompted her husband to immediately leave their home on a motorcycle to bring a woman who usually treats their children whenever they suffer convulsion.
She explained that the woman was also unwell at the time and had suggested that Mr. Anikpee should come to convey her to his residence, where she would attend to the child, and after which he would convey her back to her home, given that the lockdown caused restriction of vehicular movements.
The mother of the child, however, noted that before her husband could get to his destination, he was reportedly intercepted by officials enforcing the statewide lockdown for the environmental sanitation exercise, which restricted movement between 6:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Mrs. Anikpee alleged that despite explaining the emergency that necessitated his movement and the critical condition of his infant child, her husband was arrested, his motorcycle seized and he was subsequently detained at the Anambra East Local Government Headquarters in Otuocha by the said officials.
According to her, what initially appeared to be a temporary interruption later turned into a full nightmare.
The distraught mother revealed that her husband remained in detention beyond the sanitation hours and was not released even after he repeatedly pleaded and informed the officials that he was trying to save the life of his convulsing child.
She further alleged that he was held from Saturday until Monday, July 6, without being allowed to return home or even establish communication with his family.
As several hours passed on Saturday without seeing or hearing from him, Mrs. Anikpee said she became increasingly worried and later visited her mother-in-law, after which both women began making efforts to locate him while simultaneously searching for help for the sick child, as she herself does not know the location of the medicine woman.
According to her, the child’s condition continued to deteriorate during the period.
She said that after eventually receiving information about where her husband was being held, she reached out to a staff member at the local government headquarters and explained the urgency of her situation.
In her appeal, she reportedly pleaded that the officials should retain her husband’s motorcycle if necessary and allow him return home to attend to the critically ill baby, assuring them that he would honour any undertaking to return afterwards.
She however said the request yielded no positive result as the person ended the call.
Determined to save her child, she said she later went personally to the local government headquarters carrying the infant in her arms.
According to her, she showed the visibly sick child to those holding her husband and begged them to consider the humanitarian implications of the situation.
Rather than securing her husband’s release, she said the people cautioned her against causing a scene or disturbance at the premises.
Mrs. Anikpee further claimed that throughout his detention, her husband repeatedly informed the officials that his baby was seriously ill and needed urgent attention, but that his appeals allegedly fell on deaf ears.
The grieving mother said she later approached a senior official at the council headquarters and again explained her predicament.
According to her, the official declined to approve the husband’s release and informed her that “the main oga” was not available. He said the official subsequently advised her to go and seek treatment for the child elsewhere, without approving her husband’s release.
She said she was still trying to process the situation and make alternative arrangements when tragedy struck.
“Before I could leave the place, my baby died in my arms,” she lamented in the emotional video.
The young mother alleged that after her child died within the premises of the local government headquarters and she was grieving, one of the officials simply told her to leave the premises with the dead child and avoid creating unnecessary scenes there. She said the people still didn’t release her husband, even after that.
The lady was seen in another video where she was crying and reporting to her Aunty over the phone that her child had died.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Anambra State Government nor the Anambra East Local Government authorities had issued any official statement regarding the allegations.
Efforts by this reporter Izunna Okafor to speak with the Chairman of the Anambra East Local Government, Hon. Ifeanyichukwu Chinweze over the issue proved abortive; while calls to his media aide, Mazi Anayo Joseph, were not responded to or returned as of the time of this publication.
However, when contacted on Thursday by this reporter, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, described the video as disheartening, however, noted that he did not have any information on the incident at the moment. He, however, undertook and assured to make the necessary inquiries and get back to the reporter.
Watch the video below:
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