About 12 bullets to be removed from SSS 3 student shoot by gunman in Ekiti

Mrs Omolayo Daranijo, a mother of a student named Ayomide Daranijo, of the Senior Secondary School student (SSS 3) at the All Souls Anglican School, Ado Ekiti has raised alarm over the lack of funds delaying surgery to remove bullets from pupil shot by a gunman.

Last month, Newsflash Nigeria had earlier reported that an unidentified gunman shot Ayomide, SSS 3 female student in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

The incident occurred on Wednesday, February 23 at Basiri area of Ado Ekiti metropolis.

The student whose was shot on her stomach, breast and arm.

Ayomide, who is now receiving medical treatments at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) in Ado Ekiti but her parent’s lack of funds delaying surgery to remove about 12 bullets from a pupil shot by a gunman.

According to the Punch Newspaper who interviewed a 45-year-old single mother of four, Mrs Omolayo Daranijo, whose daughter, Ayomide, 15, was shot by a gunman on the road in Ado Ekiti, revealed that about 12 bullets are still in the girl’s arm

See the full interview by Punch Newspaper

Can you introduce yourself to us?

My name is Mrs Omolayo Daranijo. I am from Agbado Ekiti, Ekiti State.

What do you do for a living?

I cannot really say I have a job now; I am only managing a little business to survive. I have four children, they are all girls. I am the only one catering for them – their education, feeding, clothing and everything. I pay the rent, school fees everything through the grace of God.

What about their father?

It will be right to say they have no father because he does not care about them. I am taking care of them all alone. Their father is in Lagos, but he said my children are females and he could not take care of them.

One of your daughters was shot by a gunman recently. How did it happen?

It was last month, on February 23. The incident happened at about 7.30pm.  I was feeling a bit weak that day, so, I told my daughter, Ayomide, that I would have to close the shop early, so I could go and rest. Her younger siblings had gone home. While waiting by the road, looking for an okada (commercial motorcycle) to take us home, we heard a gunshot. Instinctively, I ran behind one of the kiosks there believing Ayomide had escaped as well.

But I heard her screaming, ‘Mummy, my stomach! My stomach!’ I ran out of my hiding; by the time I got to her, she was on the ground drenched in her own blood.

While coming out of my hiding, I saw the gunman. He was tall; he wore native attire. I saw the gun in his hand, but as he saw me, he turned and mounted an okada with a waiting rider and disappeared from the scene. All I could do at that time was to shout for help.

Where was your daughter hit by the bullets?

The bullets hit her on the stomach, left arm, shoulder and above the breast – four places. In the arm, the bullets hit her in about 12 spots. The bullets are still there. Her left arm cannot bend at the elbow right now. The doctors performed surgery on her stomach to remove the bullets because it was life-threatening. But they have not operated the arm to remove about 12 bullets lodged there. We cannot ask them to carry out the operation because we cannot raise the money for it yet.

Do you think the gunmen mistook your daughter for another person?

I cannot say. We were not many at the roadside that evening. There were three men, then my daughter and I. It was not as if there were many people there. But I do not understand yet.

Who do you think the gunman was or his reason for shooting your daughter?

I do not know because I have no problem or altercation with anybody. I have no deal with anybody. As I speak, it is still as if it was a dream. It is something I never expected because I am not in contest over anything with anybody. I have no deal with anybody’s husband, I don’t go to people’s houses, I am on my own. I go to my shop and from the shop I return home daily. That is my routine.

On seeing your daughter on the ground drenched in blood what did you do?

At that point, everybody had disappeared. I was only shouting ‘Help! Help! Help!’ until I was able to get an okada to take us to hospital.

How old is your daughter?

She is 15 years old. She is my first daughter. She is a class three Senior Secondary School student at the All Souls Anglican School, Ado Ekiti.

What is her condition now?

I thank God. She is improving. We are still going to the hospital for attention. But she still needs surgeries to remove the bullets in her arm. I am still looking for money for the surgery.

The experience must have shaken you.

It was a bad experience. In fact, that day I felt the heavens had collapsed. I called for help, I could not get help on time because everybody had disappeared. I could not carry her alone. What happened that day was beyond explanation, but I thank God today. It was the worst experience of my life. Eventually when we got help and she was put on a motorbike from the place to the hospital, I was shouting on the top of my voice to clear the road so that we could get to hospital on time. Everybody along the route to the hospital knew something happened. I can tell you that I did not know where I was that day.

How do you feel that WASSC Examination is around the corner and your daughter cannot go to school nor study for it?

I feel bad about it, but on the other hand, I thank God that she is alive. She spent almost three weeks in the hospital.

Did you report the incident to the police?

That night, we could not go to the police station to report the matter. It was the following day at about 5pm when they said we should bring a police report that I went to the New Iyin Road Police Station to make a report. The policemen said I would have to take them to where the incident took place, but I said my priority was to take care of my daughter in view of the condition she was in. I wrote the report in a hurry and I told them that I would be back and that I needed to attend to my daughter at the hospital.

The doctors and nurses would always want to see me around to get things. The health workers, considering my conduct, had pity on us and gave my daughter attention. They performed operation on her to remove the bullets in her stomach. They did the operation even when we did not pay. We still owe them; we have not paid the bill. If I were not there, perhaps they would not have done it. We were begging that they should save the life of the girl. If she had died, God forbid, all the policemen would have said more than ‘Madam, sorry’. I thank God that my daughter is alive.

Interestingly, your daughter survived with the multiple bullet spots. What will you attribute this to?

The grace and mercy of God.

Since the incident, how has life been for the family?

We thank God for life. But it has not been rosy. Even that day the incident happened, I didn’t have money on me. My sister gave the money she was to pay for a contribution to me to do it on her behalf. I gave the money to Ayomide to hand it over to the person in charge of the contribution. But the woman did not come, so I put the money in my bag so that I would take it to her upon arriving home. It was that money that I first used when the incident happened. I called my sister and my mum and they raised N200,000 for me which we used for the hospital expenses and other things.

What is your payment plan for what you borrowed?

For now, there is no plan, no hope. I have not been going to my shop for now. I have no hope anywhere. I am just hoping on God. I appeal to Nigerians to have mercy on us and come to our aid. I need help to be able to shoulder the responsibilities of the four children. I have a National Diploma in Accounting, if I can get a job, the rest will be easy. My girls have no father. Though their father is alive, he has proven that they have no father.

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