MASTER, CAREST THOU NOT THAT WE PERISH?
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN.


The story was once told in the bible where Jesus was travelling with his disciples in a boat and a natural disaster in the form of a boisterous wave was to overwhelm them while Jesus was asleep in the inner part of the boat and the disciples woke him up and asked, “Master carest thou not that we perish”. Jesus was said to have rebuked the waves and his disciples were saved.

In our own part of the world- Aba and its environs; we have been swallowed up not by a natural disaster but by an unprecented human catastrophe – kidnapping, killing, maiming and raping. The sad thing about this human holocaust of our time is that it is not happening at the time of war, or military rule but at the time of supposed peace and democracy-could this be the “dividend of democracy” for people in Aba and its environ.

A British medical missionary who served in Nigerian Christian Hospital, Aba for over 25 years was abducted in August last year at his residence and was shot at his left arm and was held by his captors despite his injury until millions of naira meant to pay workers salary was paid as ransom and he was released. He was flown to the USA for medical treatment, and luckily he survived. This man who left his country to bandage our wounds and broken hearts for over 25 years did not receive any award from us but the expression of our gratitude to him was this inhuman treatment meted out to him by our own brothers. Mr. President, you on behalf of the government and people of Nigeria should apologize to this man who has returned to Jos, Nigeria waiting for the endless dust to settle at Aba before he could return to where he still calls his home.

A director of a bible college near the same hospital was also abducted on his way home from a school board meeting at Ukpakiri near Aba in March 2010. He developed acute urinary retention thereafter while in the hands of his captors and was not relieved of this obstruction for 7 days. He developed renal failure thereafter and nearly lost his life; his wife was kidnapped about a year prior to his own ordeal. While he was battling wit this sickness, his son-in-law was kidnapped in June in Aba.

A young woman who had a Caesarean delivery and was nursing her baby also had an encounter with kidnappers. They took her husband away and two of them jumped unto the woman and raped her in turns. The woman attempted to tell them that she had a Caesarean operation and she was slapped on the mouth.


Many buses carrying traders from Aba to Port Harcourt on the Oil Mill market days have been abducted and all the belonging of the passengers stolen, the women were raped daily for 5 days or more while the men were released after payment of ransom.

More than 40 medical doctors have been kidnapped in Aba in the last 6-8 months; many more have left Aba this time, not for greener pastures but for safety. Those carrying out humanitarian jobs are now at grave risk in Aba. One of the most horrible ordeals of the doctors is that of the director of Victory Hospital who was abducted together with his wife on 16th of September 2010. The wife was later released and after paying ransom for the release of her husband, what she received was the corpse of her husband. Imagine the indelible psychological trauma this woman and her family will struggle with for the rest of their lives on earth.

Even the National Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association who was living in Aba narrowly escaped the hoodlums and he had to relocate. Another doctor in attempt to run away from kidnappers jumped from a two storey building and developed a spinal cord injury.

The saddest of these is the kidnapping of a bus full of Primary School children in Aba on 27th September 2010. This has forced the schools in Aba to close down.
The banks have been broken into many times and many bank workers either killed or maimed. The banks have to stop again this week, the fourth time in less than 5 months. Some traditional rulers have suffered similar fate.

An Indian pharmaceutical company supervisor was gunned down in Aba while on duty supervising the activity of his company. Industries have closed down and cooperate organizations have been attacked severally. Economic activities have been completely grinded to a halt in Aba.

The kidnapping of four journalists at Ukpakiri near Aba in July 2010 drew attention of the nation and the world to what is happening in Aba and it’s environ. The sad thing however is that since after the kidnapping of the 4 journalists; this nefarious activity instead of abating has rather worsened by day. No effective strategies were mapped out to curb the situation; unfortunately the press has not given it the prominence it deserves after the journalists were released. The picture I have painted above is just the tip of the iceberg.

One of the most important features of democracy or governance is freedom and safety of lives and property of the citizenry. In Aba and it’s environ, a significant number of the people as I am writing now are in prison in the bushes of Ngwa land not for crimes but for carrying out their lawful duties. This menace has lasted up to 2 years now and the solution appears not to be at sight.

I am therefore forced to ask you Mr. President; “Carest thou not that we perish in Aba and its environs”. The disciples of Jesus got the solution to their problem when they asked him this question. In the same vein Mr. President, we desire nothing but solution to this problem from you. You are the Chief Security Officer of the nation. You have the capacity to help us. We no longer want promises but solution. May this solution come sooner than later before we all perish.

Cyprian Ihedigbo
Aba, Nigeria

There is steady supply of fuel and the price is reasonable.