Odih
It’s
been a year since National Youth Service Corps member Samuel Odih was
almost killed in a machete attack by a pupil of a school in Imo State.
He narrates his ordeal to MOTUNRAYO ABODERIN
If Samuel Odih, a National Youth
Service Corps member in 2012, was to turn back the hands of time, taking
part in the nation-wide compulsory youth service scheme is a part of
his life that he want to erase. He wishes he never took part in the
exercise after a life-threatening experience in Imo State, where he
served the nation as a corps member.
The Delta State-born former students of
Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, was reluctant to proceed to
Umuguna in Imo State, where he was posted for the service year after his
university education, but he had to go.
“I was posted to Umuguma in Imo State for
my NYSC. At first, when I got my letter, I didn’t feel too good about
the fact that I would be far away from my parents. But, I kept
reassuring myself that it wouldn’t be too long before I returned home. I
thought within myself that it was better than being posted to one of
the states with security challenges,” says Odih, who later came close to
losing his life in the community where he served.
“I had prayed against being posted to
some of the states where religious problems have led to the death of
innocent souls including some youth corps members.So, being posted to
Imo State was not really bad because the state is peaceful. I never
thought of being attacked, getting injured or coming close to losing my
life. I also looked forward to getting a job and starting a new life
after the service,” he adds.
Odih, 23, was however wrong in his
assessment. Teaching was his preferred primary assignment after the
orientation camp. He got his wish as he was posted to a secondary school
in Umuguma.
“After settling down in the camp, it was
time for us to kick off our Community Development Service. I opted to
teach because I loved the fact that I would be imparting knowledge in
the leaders of tomorrow. I was then sent to Ara Secondary School,
Umuguma, to teach J.S.S.1, 2 and 3 students HIV/AIDS awareness,” he
says.
Filled with joy, Odih resumed at the
school in January 2012. It was a smooth tale until two months after when
things went awry when he was allegedly attacked by a pupil.
“On March 8, 2012, I went to the school
for my usual CDS. Some students were making a noise at the back of the
class but I tried to ignore it, thinking that as time went on, we would
get to know ourselves better. But when the noise became unbearable, I
told the pupils to concentrate or leave the class. But some of them
stood at the window of the class and continued their discussion; they
were disturbing the class. I asked them to leave the class but one of
the pupils refused to leave. I threatened to report him to the school
authority, so he reluctantly left,” he stated. But that peace was
temporary.
He said, “I was backing the class when I
heard an unusual noise among the pupils. Apparently, some of them were
trying to warn me of imminent danger by calling my name but by the time I
looked back, it was too late. I was hit with a cutlass at the side of
my head. I fell to the ground bleeding profusely. I fainted.”
Odih said he was taken to the Imo State
Specialist Hospital where he was told that he cheated death because the
cutlass missed his brain by a few inches.
“I underwent numerous surgeries because the cut was very deep. The doctor said I was lucky to be alive,” he stated.
Odih was not alone in the misery. His parents became depressed and saddened by the attack on their son.
“When my mum heard the news, she just
burst out in tears. She was traumatised. She couldn’t hold herself. She
was disturbed emotionally as she could not hear my voice for about two
days. She refused to eat or sleep until she saw me in the hospital. She
went to the orientation camp and requested for my redeployment but her
request was turned down.”
His travail was not over as he was left
alone with the NYSC officials allegedly relunctant to visit him. When
the zonal coordinator eventually did, settling the hospital bill became
an issue.
“It was only after my mother visited the
orientation camp that the NYSC coordinator, Mrs. Chinwe Ojukwu, paid me a
visit at the hospital. She deposited about N30,000 for my hospital
bill. Meanwhile, the total bill including travelling expenses for my
parents was over N100,000,” Odih said, adding that Ojukwu did not pay
him another visit on his hospital bed.
“My parents had to struggle to pay the
bill. It wasn’t easy for them and I felt bad,” he stated. But Odih was
not entirely lucky as the injury left an indelible damage to his life.
“As a result of the injury, I lost sense
of touch on my hands, I experience frequent memory loss and phobia for
sharp objects. I had to visit LUTH for medical examination and did a
Brain CT scan when I had difficulties in writing and spelling words. I
also developed itches on the injury spot and constant pain.”
The victim of machete attack is calling on the NYSC to pay back the balance of the hospital bill to his parents.
“My parents should not be responsible for
the bill. NYSC should pay them back the money. Corps members should
have an insurance cover in case of incidents like this. It’s not right
that nothing is being done about my case.
“The incident happened while I was
serving. NYSC is meant to pay for my hospital bills. I have made several
calls to the coordinator; I have sent several text messages to her. I
wrote a letter and attached receipts of the expenses to it but I have
not heard from the NYSC,” he said.
The Public Relations Officer, Imo State
NYSC, Mr. Orunta Ugo, however said officials of the scheme visited Odih
many times while he was in the hospital. He added that Odih’s parents
later took him to Lagos for further treatment.
Ugo stated, ‘‘ Odih’s parents later fsent
us the bill of over N100,000 as the cost for his treatment in Lagos. We
have sent it to the national secretariat in Abuja for approval. His
allowance was paid even though he was not around. Also, Ben Aboh, who is
the inspector in the local council area where Odih served, visited
him many times in the hospital before he was moved to Lagos.’’
PUNCH
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