In her mid-thirties, Tina Dimoji, is a woman who never imagined her life could come crashing down during an outing with her husband of 14 years, Okey.
For the first time since she lost her 44-year-old husband in a tragic accident at Mile 2, Lagos, when the vehicle they were riding in was stopped by a team of policemen on illegal duty, Tina decided to share her story with us in an emotional moment that threatened to break her down completely.
During the interview, Tina even required the support of a friend, who held her hand all through, to ensure she stayed strong.
She could not bear to narrate the story without such physical support because every memory was agony for her.
“I lost my confidant, our breadwinner, a very loving husband and great father to his children,” Tina shook her head and tears streamed down her face.
On April 30, 2015, Tina and Okey left their Anthony Village home and set out for a service of songs at Navy Town, Mile 2, Lagos, without any premonition of a looming tragedy.
Tina told our correspondent, “Earlier in the day, we went to Ikeja and when we got back home, he changed into a traditional attire and I decided to do the same in preparation for the programme at Mile 2.
“We were on our way back around 7.30pm when we got to the interchange at Mile 2 and a policeman (Sgt. Victor Egbovour) stood in the middle of the road and stopped our car.
“I could see three other policemen on the side of the road behind him. He (Egbovour) told my husband to get down from the car but my husband told him he wanted to park properly.
“His voice grew stronger as he again ordered him to get out of the car. My husband insisted two more times that he had to park well. On the third time, the policeman cocked his gun and said ‘You want to teach me my job?’ That was when my husband got down from the car and the policeman seized the car key.”
But that obedient action would cost Okey his life.
It was apparent the account had got to the most painful part of Tina’s memory. She paused and held her head in her hands. Her voice shook but she mustered the resolve to continue.
She said, “Just a moment later, all I saw was that the policeman jumped out of the way. In a split second, a loaded trailer hit my husband and dragged him some distance under its tyres.
“The policeman was facing the coming traffic so he was able to see the vehicle in time. My husband had his back towards the traffic. But the policeman made no attempt to push him out of the way or warn him about the coming vehicle.”
Tina, who was sitting in her husband’s vehicle during the encounter, dashed out of the vehicle just in time to hear her husband groan under the tyres of the trailer, “Ah, this policeman has killed me.”
She screamed as she saw her husband bleeding heavily from mangled flesh on his body.
“The driver of the trailer came out with his conductor and attempted to extricate him from under the tyre, but each time they did, blood gushed out,” Tina said.
But what did the four policemen standing around do at that moment?
“One of them took a look and told the others, ‘E be like say this man don die o.’ That was the last we saw of them. Few moments later, they all fled. We did not even know how they disappeared. We later realised that the one who collected the car key had dropped it on the ground,” Tina said.
It was learnt that as they eventually extricated Okey’s body from under the trailer, Tina was asked to drive the car closer so they could put her badly injured husband in the vehicle. But she could not move as a result of shock.
When Okey was eventually put in the car and driven to the nearest hospital, he had lost so much blood. Added to that was the fact that the hospital officials said his case was beyond their capability and had to refer him to a bigger hospital. But it was too late for Okey, he died shortly after.
According to Tina, if the policemen had not fled, perhaps, her husband could have been saved.
“They would have been able to clear the road for us as we raced to the hospital. They could have done a lot to ensure that we get there faster. But they caused my husband’s death and abandoned us immediately,” she said.
All the policemen were later tracked down and arrested. Apart from Egbovour, the other policemen involved are Corporal Simeon Omaye, Corporal Sumalaan Corporal Arabama.
Tina said her husband’s death brought her life to a standstill. Family members said she had barely been eating or sleeping since the incident.
Okey, whose grandfather was a retired Archbishop of the Methodist Church, met his wife in a church in Enugu and since then, they had been inseparable.
She said, “I cannot begin to explain what life has been for me and our two children (aged 12 and 11) since I lost the love of my life. Ours was a family filled with love. We were planning for his 45th birthday and had even informed all his friends. We planned a family trip. He was renovating this house in preparation for the birthday.
“The last two months has been traumatic for our children as well. One of my children recently won an award in school but rather than come home and rejoice, he was sobbing.
“The day we were supposed to celebrate the birthday of my second son, we were in the presence of the police provost marshal, testifying in the orderly room trial of the policemen involved in his father’s death.”
Okey was said to be a consummate businessman owning publishing, telecommunications, courier and security companies among others.
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Really sad.May God comfort her nd her family
ReplyDeleteThat's sad, God help her and her family. Rip to her husband
ReplyDelete