25- Year Old Shot In The Mouth For Resisting Ra*e In Abuja

Culled from The Sun

Life has actually tasted bitter for Geri Laadi. She is just
25, but  was orphaned at 10. In all these
years, she had been the one toiling and taking care of herself.

When death deprived her of parental care, she had to fend
for herself and get basic education.

The young woman then struggled to become a better person in
life, regardless of her background. With her zeal, ambition, the young lady
financed her education to earn NCE certificate from the College of Education,
Katsina-Ala, Benue State.

One morning, on her way to work, she landed in another
trouble that bred the pains she lives with.

In tears, her elder sister, Caroline Anande, a widow with
seven children narrated her younger sister’s close shave with death to Abuja
Metro.

Geri could not talk to us, but could only write down
responses relating to the incident, because her tongue was almost cut off, her
mouth terribly wounded by bullets robbers shot at her mouth. She could not turn
her head either because the bullet hit part of her neck. She lay helplessly in
bed with sanitary tissues stuffed into the mouth to suck up saliva that drips
uncontrollably from there. She indicated that they had lived in the same area
of Abuja for over five years. Geri’s trouble further burdens her elder sister
whose late husband was buried just three months ago.

“My heart is heavy, I am heartbroken looking at my sister
lying in pains, she was supporting me immensely with the little income since my
husband died.  We had been managing to
cope with our lean resources until armed robbers surfaced to wipe sleep away
from our eyes.”

This poor widow explained that Geri, always leaves home at
4:30am for work, though she left at 5am that morning, because of the daily
traffic on the Nyanya-Mararaba express But she couldn’t get to Abuja-Keffi
expressway to board a bus that will convey her to town that day.

“My sister testified after regaining consciousness on a
written note, how a masked armed robber snatched her phone and handbag.
Thereafter, commanded her to undress, she pleaded with them, they were two men
the unmasked man was behind backing them while the operation was going on. But,
they shouted at her to undress amid her pleas explaining that she was
menstruating. But these evil agents insisted on raping her

In the struggle, she screamed loud in fear for help, and
that angered the armed man wearing mask that shot a bullet into her mouth and
vanished, leaving her unconscious and bleeding.

It was an okada rider residing within their vicinity that
called to inform the sister of the incident.

“In fact, I was devastated seeing her helpless on the
ground. Sincerely I thought she was already dead with the quantity of blood on
the ground and on her body from heavy bleeding. I remain thankful to God and my
neighbours who assisted to take her to the Nyanya General hospital where
received initial treatment to revive her before she was referred to the Maitama
General Hospital where they told us that her was affected by the shot and her
tongue almost chopped off.

At the time of visit, she still had stitches on her tongue
and teeth and as a result cold neither eat nor talk.

After spending 10 days at the hospital, she was discharged
and referred to National Hospital or Zaria for further medical attention.

Geri’s sister is grateful to God and everyone that has shown
them love in the incident, their neighbours and especially Ahmed Musa,
presenter of the Brekete Family radio programme that aired story of Geri’s
encounter.

“The Brekete Family supported us with N100,000 which he paid
to the hospital himself to ensure my sister’s urgent treatment. We have been
going to the Gwagwalada General Hospital for medical treatment. Though, I am
facing the challenges of feeding and transportation, because my sister until
this unfortunate incident was the bread winner of my family. I am a widow with
seven children without any source of livelihood. And she is still living with
bullet inside her body. The hospital said a surgery to remove the pellets would
only be possible after the wound in her mouth healed. We believe God for her
healing and the possibility of financial provision for the surgery.”

During our visit, Geri managed to scribble on paper a call
to people to assist her in prayers and make monetary provision to enable her
pick the medical bills and undergo the surgery to remove the bullets lodged in
her body.

“I need assistance relieve my sister’s burden, she is
unemployed and not engaged in any form of trade, because of financial
incapacity to cater for her seven children, who are also not attending school.
I call for help from anybody that cares to see me through this predicament.”

Also speaking Mrs. Abubakar Ahmed, a staff of NIPOST who
lives in the same area explained the level of insecurity in their community and
how bitter he feels about Geri’s condition.

“In fact, it is a tradition for us to leave this community
as early as 4:30am to our places of work in the city because of the terrible
traffic on the Nyanya-Mararaba road.

We have local security outfits that guard the area at night
till 5am leaving us to our fate for the day. The need to leave very early for
work is what mainly exposes us to security risks on the way and that is because
we need to leave that early to escape the traffic jam on the way.”

Another resident Adak Sabo, a road safety marshal also spoke
with Abuja Metro the insecurity challenges and traffic problem. “In fact, the
traffic problem exposes us to risk of riding on bike on the expressway in the
morning to get to our places of work on time. Geri’s incident has become a
restraint on me not leave that early again.”