Maro Idodo recuperating at an undisclosed health facility after relocating from the General Hospital.
By Jon Egie
The Life of a Keke driver identified as Maro Idodo hangs on the balance after he was physically assaulted by a woman at the Evueta Junction Keke Park in Ughelli.
The incident occurred at the evening rush hour on Friday, May 25.
It was learnt the said Keke driver attempted to join the road from his parking spot to drop passengers at their destination when a commuting woman on foot charged at him for blocking her way. The Keke driver rebuffed the woman saying there was enough space for her to pass.
Unexpectedly, the woman grabbed the Keke driver, dragged him from his Keke seat and hit the Keke driver’s head hard on the tarred road and the man passed out.
Fellow Keke drivers raised the alarm and neighbours as well as other passengers rushed to the scene and made efforts to revive the fainting Keke driver. Meanwhile, the woman attempted to escape but was held down until her victim regained consciousness
While that was going on, the husband of the woman came up and pleaded for the release of his wife promising to take care of the victim’s medical bills but Maro refused fearing that something worse might happen if he went with the couple. The woman was then allowed to go with her husband.
The next day, Maro could not go to work. Chairman of the Keke Park, Emmanuel Ogwu said a delegation sent by the Park was told the victim was extremely weak and complained of pains in his head. He was then taken to the General Hopsital where he was admitted for treatment.
Faced by the challenge, the Park management sent a delegation led by the park Chairman to the house of the woman and requested the husband’s assistance in the medical treatment of the assaulted Keke driver. But rather than cooperating the husband accused the Keke drivers generally of molesting his wife and threatened to get them arrested and locked up unless the Chairman produced the particular Keke drivers that molested his wife. Afraid, the Chairman retreated and went back to the park to report to his colleagues.
On Sunday morning a man who identified himself as Ene, wh claimed to be a police officer from the Ughelli Area Command appeared and ordered the Chairman and his Executive to report at the Area Commander’s Office over alleged molestation of a woman. When the Chairman and his exco arrived the AC’s Office, the said police officer could not be located or identified as a personnel of the AC’s Office.
As at press time, Maro has been relocated from the General Hospital to an undisclosed health facility because of further threat to his life.
It was learnt that at the General Hospital, Maro saw the woman who assaulted him wearing a nurse uniform and pointed her to his wife. His wife immediately went to the nurse and asked her why she wanted to kill her husband and at that point the nurse flared up and threatened to cause more trouble for the Keke driver and his wife. She went on to request for his hospital file and insisted that she would inject the Keke driver.
“I have left the hospital for fear of what the nurse could do to me. She requested for my file and insisted she must inject me. I was afraid because she wanted to kill me so I left the hospital. I am still having difficulty in breathing and serious pains in my head. I can’t sleep well since the incident.” Maro told our Correspondent by phone.
Effort to reach the woman for her comment was futile as her residence in Joy City area of Ughelli was inaccessible.
Contacted, Police Public Relations Officer of Delta State Police Command, SP Edafe Bright said he had no knowledge of the incident because such a matter was not reported to him.
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