Girl, 12 looses eyes to Boko Haram's bullets



SATURDAY, 19 November this year, was a red-letter day in the family of Samuel Afolarin as they, literally, saw red.

That day, some members of the dreaded Boko Haram sect rained bullets on his car as he drove in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital. With him in the car were his 12-year-old daughter, Folasade, and his son.

Folasade, a Junior Secondary School (JSS) 1 student, is the first born of the family. Some of the bullets from the weapons being fired by the group hit her left eye. Now, both eyes are in danger.
Perhaps, if Afolarin and his wife had had premonition of how fate would play cruelty on their innocent daughter that Saturday evening, the head of the family who had lived in the hitherto peaceful city for over 20 years would have stayed indoor.

Now, the gunmen have dulled the life of Folasade, a student of Bright Future Secondary School in Maiduguri.

Recounting his ordeal to the Nigerian Compass on Saturday, 42-year-old Afolarin, a patent medicine store owner, said that he did not know what he did that could have drawn the drew the ire of the Boko Haram members.

They fired several shots at his car on sighting them around 8.30pm.

“For over 20 years, I have been living peacefully in Maiduguri, selling drugs as a chemist.”

But, on that fateful day at about 7.30 pm, when he had closed for the day and was about returning home with Folashade and his son, he was attacked by the gunmen at a close range.

Although none of the bullets hit him and his son, who was sitting at the back of the car, one of them hit Folasade who was sitting beside him. Another struck her neck and face close to the eye.

“The bullet that hit her on the neck came out through her left eye while the other bullet affected her right eye thereby rendering her blind,”he said.

Folasade has an urgent need for medical treatment. Samuel pointed out that the girl was rushed to the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital where doctors placed her on drips and pints of blood.

Later, doctors disclosed that she needed N450, 000 to remove the left eye, which is the treatment that could be offered to her.

Now, the parents have resigned to faith, believing that their daughter will still see again. They have brought her to the ECWA Hospital in Egbe, Kogi state from where they were referred to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital .

Nigerian Compass on Saturday learnt that surgeons at the University of Ilorin told the family that a sum of N10 million will be required for the surgical operations. They are afraid that if the operation is not carried out speedily, it may affect her brain.

The parents are now contemplating flying the 12-year-old to India as by suggested by surgeons in Ilorin and at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital to enable them carry out the necessary surgical operations.

Samuel, who hails from Omi in Yagba West Local government area of kogi State is appealing to public -spirited individuals, the Federal Government, state governments and non- governmental organizations to come to the aid of Folasade.

Folashade is said to be a brilliant pupil of the Bright Future Secondary School before the suspected Boko Haram members shattered her hopes, and those of her parents.




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