Over two years after a building collapse buried his pregnant wife and three children alive in Magodo area of Lagos, Emmanuel Otache, who escaped death by a whisker, is crying out for intervention of any kind as he claims his life is on the brink, Gboyega Alaka reports.
The cut a pitiable sight, as he hopped into The Nation’s Fatai Atere corporate office on crutches. But his story, a rather pathetic one, evoked even more pity.
“October 19, 2019 is a date that has come to be a constant reminder of my loss,” he started.
“I lived at 48, Otun Araromi Street, Isheri Magodo. I had lived there since July 27, 2010 before the tragedy that befell me on that date.
“I had come back home after a hard day’s work. I was a bike man (commercial motorcycle rider) with OPay, and my wife, as was her practice, prepared hot water for me with which I had a bath. Thereafter, I retired to bed. I never knew that would be the last time I would see my pregnant wife and my three children.
“To my surprise, I woke up later in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) ward, where I was told that I had been undergoing treatment for six months. I asked after my family; my pregnant wife, Faith, and my three children: Jummai (13), Dominion (6) and Daniel (6 months) and all they told me was ‘calm down’.
“That raised my suspicion and I started agitating and demanding to see them. Eventually, they told me that a building on Alhaji Hakeem Odumosu Street behind my house collapsed on my apartment and killed my entire family.
“The building that collapsed on my house was owned by Fatai Ajayi Abiodun, a professional footballer, whom I learnt has sojourned in Spain and France.
“I learnt the incident happened between 3 and 4am. We were two tenants occupying the back apartment. Fortunately for my neighbour, he was not at home that night.
“My landlord, Mr. Victor (I can’t remember his surname), an ASP of police’s apartment in the front was not affected.”
A consequence of that incident, which Channels Television and a few other media would later describe as a mudslide accident, is the fact that Otache also lost the use of his two legs, which is why he now hops around on crutches.
Now literally stripped naked, helpless and defenceless, owing to his loss, physical condition and the fact that his parents, whom he could have turned to for help, are poor old farmers back in Benue State, Otache says his major challenge now is how to survive.
More painful to him, he said, is the fact that nobody seems to care about his predicament – not his former landlord, not the owner of the building that collapsed on his house, not even his employer at the time of the accident, OPay, where he worked as a bike rider. To crown it up, he is accusing the police of complicity and cover-up.
“Ever since, I was abandoned by everybody. Even the IPO in charge of the case at Isheri-Magodo Police Station, Inspector Kadara, did not for once check me up at LASUTH where I was treated or since I was discharged.
“More painful is the DPO of that police station, CSP Amodu Nurudeen, who knew me and my wife before that unfortunate incident. The same with my landlord, Mr Victor, a Superintendent of Police at Ojodu Police Station.
“So after getting better a bit last year, I started taking steps, going to the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) in Surulere, Lagos, to fight for my right to see how I can survive.
“Unfortunately, all entreaties, including to my former employers, OPay, has not yielded anything. As I speak with you, I have no place of my own where I lay my head and I have no means of livelihood.
“Last night, I slept at a friend’s place along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. I only survive at the mercy of church members who buy me drugs.
“First, I went to Isheri-Magodo Police Station. My intention was to get the DPO to invite the owner of the building that collapsed on my apartment to take responsibility and compensate me, but nothing has come out of it.
“The worst is anytime I go there now, even in my condition, the DPO chases me away, telling me not to come to the station again. This is a big surprise to me because all I wanted was his help.
“I also believe that it falls within his purview to invite Mr Fatai Abiodun. After all, the incident happened under his jurisdiction.
“Later, I began to hear from my fellow bike men that the DPO has been bought over by Fatai Abiodun and is now covering him up. Even the IPO, Inspector Kadara, has been non-committal.
“I tried to approach my landlord and to my surprise, his daughter, Promise, who is based abroad, threatened to deal with me if I ever approach her dad over the matter again.
“This hurts me deeply because these were people who knew my deceased family, and the least they could do was show compassion.
“As if to add insult to my injury, my landlord now sold the property to the same Fatai Abiodun, who now rebuilt it into a more modern building and resold it.
“In all this, none of them remembered me. Not my landlord, not the footballer. He had enough money to buy and rebuild a property but had no money to show mercy on me. I think this is callous and inconsiderate.
“I also think they are doing this because they know I have nobody to fight for me and they can get away with whatever they do.
“Till this moment, I have not set my eyes on Fatai. I even made efforts to reach the man who sold the property to Fatai before it collapsed, Alhaji Olaiya Oladeji, to see if he could help me reach him, but his security men chased me away.
“They told me that rather than come there, I should get myself a lawyer. But with which money? Everywhere I’ve been, it’s either silence or they chase me away and threaten me.”
Abandoned by OPay
Otache also expressed his disappointment in Opay, his employers until the incident, whom he says have not checked up on him or reach out to him since the unfortunate incident.
“Even in the heat of all this, my employers, OPay, have not for once asked after me nor deemed it fit to look me up; neither did they pay me any compensation.
“I was among their riders before Lagos State Government banned commercial motorcycling in most part of Lagos.
“To make matters worse, all they did was come and dig up their bike from the mud and take it back to their office. This was despite the fact that I was almost done with paying for the bike. My bike number was FFF058WH.”
Asked if he was a permanent staff and if he had worked long enough for the company to qualify for compensation or any kind of entitlement, Otache said: “I started working with them on May 12, 2019. I was among their very first staff when they started the bike business. And the incident happened on October 19, 2019 (five months).
“I worked for them on commission. Every day, we paid N3,000 until we reached the target money and the bike became ours. That was the arrangement. And as at the time of the incident, I only had about a month and a half to go in the repayment.”
When reminded that that may not qualify him for any entitlement, Otache insisted that his name was on the company’s computer and that all riders had insurance cover, citing an occasion when he was involved in an accident on duty and the insurance company came to evacuate and treat him.
Otache is, however, grateful to LASUTH for treating him, to the Good Samaritan whom he learnt paid his hospital bills and to the church, Light House Christian Outreach Centre, Ikeja, Lagos, which has been buying him drugs.
We’re not aware of his situation – OPay
Spirited efforts to get a reaction from the management of OPay however yielded little or nothing. An inside source who craved anonymity said the management was not aware of Otache’s situation. He claimed that no official report was made and for that reason, he would not give any reaction yet.
He however said the company may respond in due course.
Repeated phone-calls to Isheri-Magodo Police Station DPO, Amodu Nurudeen, to get his reaction to Otache’s allegation did not yield any results, as the calls went unanswered. Amodu also did not respond to text messages sent to him, to apprise him with the reason behind the calls.
Personal efforts to claim compensation
Otache says he has also made other efforts to get relief but to no avail, including letters to the office of the Vice President and his state of origin, Benue State Government.
“In the course of my seeking for compensation or any kind help, I have written several letters. I have written to my Senator, Abba Moro, who represents my constituency in Benue State; I have written to the Senate President; Secretary to the Federal Government; I have written to Federal Ministry of Works; DG Human Rights Commission; Minister of Humanitarian Affairs; even the office of the Vice President, yet nothing has come out of it.
“I have also been to the Legal Aid Council and Office of the Public Defender. Even to take these letters to Abuja, I had to go and plead with the manager of Ekeson Transport in Jibowu for free passage, which he mercifully granted.
He said the only place he got a bit of assistance was at the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), which he claimed wrote a letter to his former employer, OPay; the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and his state’s Liaison Office, but nothing has been forthcoming.
“This is why I am turning to fellow Nigerians for whatever help they can render. I am at a crossroads and I need help to pick my pieces and move on.
“I would also appreciate any lawyer who may be willing to offer his service pro bono, to help me get compensation for what happened to me, as I have no money to pay for now.”
Otache also gave his bank account details as: Otache Oluwapelumi Emmanuel, Polaris Bank: 3027083774), for those who might be willing to help.
About his legs and if he may ever walk again, Otache said: “The doctor at LASUTH said they had to insert metals in them, and that once they removed them, I would e able to walk again.”