Naomi Mamaki is the eldest of the seven children of the late Auta Nelsa, a teacher who was shot by gunmen at the Government Science Secondary, Nasarawa Eggon, Nasarawa State. She talks to COLLINS SUNDAY about the circumstance surrounding her fathers death how it has left the family in grief
What is your occupation and state of origin?
I am a Senior School Certificate Examination holder. I am learning a skill. I’m from the Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area of Nasarawa State and I am single.
How old was dad?
I am not sure of his age but I think he was 48 years old.
How many children did he have?
I am his first daughter and first child. We are seven in number, two boys and five girls.
What did he teach at the school?
He taught English Language and Christian Religious Studies.
For how long had he been a teacher?
Well, I can’t say exactly but I am aware that he had been a teacher since I was born.
Was he expecting a promotion before he was killed?
He didn’t discuss expecting any promotion at his workplace with me.
Can you recall how he died?
At about 8pm on that fateful day, August 13, 2022, my father, his friend, and my stepmother were eating in the sitting room, but later, she left them to go charge her phone in our neighbor’s house. Then all of a sudden, three heavily armed men entered our parlour and pointed their guns at them, telling them to either surrender their money and other belongings or get killed. My father refused to comply with their demands, so two of the gunmen dragged his friend outside the house to rob him of his belongings while the other criminal stayed inside the house, pointing a gun at my father’s head.
When they took his friend outside, they asked him who he was to my father and he told them that he was a student who came to collect food from him. So, they checked his bank account and found out that he had only N1,000 in it, so they beat him and took him somewhere a bit far from our house. But while all these were happening, my father was thinking of how he would escape from the danger. It was when they brought my father outside the house to manhandle him that he tried to escape to our neighbour’s house and was shot twice which led to his death.
Can you recall what he said to the attackers?
Before my father ran, he asked the gunmen, “Who are you? What did I do to you? He managed to get to our neighbour’s house and was there for a few seconds calling on the man to open the door but he (neighbour) was praying inside his house, so he didn’t respond. My father made efforts to escape from danger but unfortunately, one of the hoodlums got to him and shot him. After shooting him, the hoodlum tore my father’s clothes, left him naked and ran away. It was after a few minutes that people in the neighborhood who heard the gunshots, came to our compound to know where it was coming from and found my father on the floor in the pool of his blood. Then they took him to the hospital where he was declared dead.
We don’t really know whether he died immediately after he was shot because he lost a lot of blood and was too weak to speak but he was confirmed dead at the hospital.
Did you report to the police?
He had been shot and the gunmen had escaped before the police arrived at the scene of the attack.
What did they say?
When they arrived, they made efforts to track down the hoodlums and made some investigations. I don’t know the outcome of their efforts that day but they were the ones who rescued my late father’s friend from where he was dumped by the gunmen. They took him to the hospital where he received medical treatment.
Which part of your father’s body did the bullet penetrate?
It was his stomach.
Has he been buried?
No, he has not been buried. He will be buried on August 20, 2022.
Where were you when the incident occurred?
I was in Lafia, the state capital. I learnt tailoring skills there but on hearing about the sad incident, I immediately rushed back to Nasarawa Eggon and my younger siblings narrated everything to me.
What did you do when you heard of his death?
It was really terrible. I was heartbroken and I did not even know what to do at that moment. I was totally confused. When the incident occurred that Saturday night, my siblings did not tell me about the sad development until Sunday morning; that was when my younger brother called me with my father’s phone number to tell me that he was dead. When I saw the call, I was wondering why my father would call me on a Sunday morning but I picked up the call and found out that it was my younger brother using his phone to call me. The sad news caused great trauma to me and even to this moment, I have yet to recover from it.
Did he ever complain about security threats or express fear about his safety?
No. He never complained or expressed any fear to me or my siblings. It is just that my siblings and I had been having strange dreams. In our dreams, we saw unknown gunmen pursuing us and we always prayed about it.
Do you think his killers were armed robbers or hired assassins?
My father’s death doesn’t seem like an armed robbery incident. It looked more like the gunmen were hired assassins because they didn’t collect anything from him. Even his phone, which was taken earlier, was kept at the scene of the attack after he was shot.
What kind of person was your dad?
My father was a very generous man. He didn’t have issues with people. He took us to church and taught us about the supremacy of God. He taught us how to love and forgive those who hurt us. Even though he wasn’t wealthy, he helped the underprivileged in our neighborhood. He is the kind of man that doesn’t like to see his children lack food to eat or any other thing at all. He always tried his best to provide for the family. My father was very nice to everyone, whether small or big; he cared for everyone. He was a good man.
What will you miss about him?
I will miss everything about him. The love, the care, the pampering and all that fathers do for their children. As I am talking to you now, we do not have a roof over our heads any longer because I hear that the school authority may soon send us parking from its premises because our father is dead and we live in the staff quarters.
Did he discuss any of his plans for the future with you?
No, he did not discuss any of his plans with me.
Was any other person killed during the attack?
No other person was killed. It was only my father.
How is your family taking the tragic incident?
It has not been easy for us since the day he died. I wish the whole incident was a dream, but it is not. We have been crying since that day. I have made efforts to talk to my younger siblings to stop crying and be strong but it is not working. My father was everything to us. My father was the only male in his own family. His sisters and other relatives have been traumatised as a result of his death.
How did your mother react to his death?
Since the incident occurred, my stepmother has cried day and night, asking who she will run to for help because she doesn’t have a job. My father was solely responsible for providing for the family. My father’s first wife, who gave birth to the seven of us and was working and earning a salary, died in a fatal motor accident in 2017. So, he married another woman who is my stepmother and since then, we have been managing ourselves to survive the harsh economic realities but my father has been providing for us all this while.
I want to appeal to the Nasarawa State Government and other good-spirited individuals to come to our aid. My siblings are still growing up and my father’s desire was for all of us to be well educated. Now that he is dead, I don’t know how we will be able to go to school. We really need help.
