Woman, 21, feeds pigs with own baby.

Like every part of Benue State, majority of families in Gboko breed pigs since pork is the most widely consumed delicacy among the people of the area. Pork is sold at every street corner, and there are various ways to prepare it, including cooking with soup, or roasting to serve with beer at drinking joints. In Gboko, pigs are seen every where roaming the streets along side humans since the owners do not care about breeding them in the proper way. This development aids the pigs to go loose and feed on anything in sight including corpses which they dig out of shallow graves.

 

However, a pathetic incident in the eastern part of Gboko has compelled the residents into having a second thought about breeding pigs in the loose manner they do, or even eating pork. A young lady, 21, allegedly brought out her one-week-old baby and threw it to pigs to feed on. And the squealing pigs did not hesitate as they fought each other and tore the baby in parts. They fed on it, hungrily.

Hembafan Anduur of No. 14, Iorafaga Street in Gboko-East is the third child in the family of Pa Anduur Gbor, a retired civil servant-turned-farmer. Although the first daughter in a family whose name is jealously guarded, Hembafan dropped out of school at St. Francis Secondary School in Gboko. And according to one of her neighbours who claims to be an ex-servicemen: "She is loose. Every boy around Gboko-East knows her. In fact, immorality is her second name".

So when she took in, her no-nonsense father sent her packing from home. She was said to be unable to name the man responsible for her baby. Nevertheless, after several days of pleading from her aged mother, Mama Nyangohol Anduur, the retired civil servant returned her to the house with a condition not to make herself a liability to the home. Weekly Trust learnt that, nine months after in the early hours of July 17, she put to bed without any complication. Her mother and a handful of neighbours assisted her to deliver safely, a bouncing baby boy in her little room.

Her father who did not bat an eyelid whether his daughter was going through pain during labour, hurried out of his bed on receiving the news that Hembafan delivered safely. He announced to the shock of everybody that he had a name for his grand son. And everybody thought he was thrilled with joy until he sent them beyond shock with the name "Pension", a Gboko derogatory name for a bastard child. He explained that since his grandson had no father, he was going to take full responsibility, stressing that the child was a pension he will receive since he has long stopped procreation.

Although Hembafan’s relatives refused to confirm this account which was given to Weekly Trust by a neighbour who sought protection, they still agreed that she became frustrated with having the child. This, according to them, must have compelled her into dumping the baby to pigs to feed on.

Her immediate elder brother, Terfa, and younger brother, Luther said she dumped the baby on the seventh day, being July 23. Terfa confirmed that she targeted a period when every household member goes out for business. "She brought out the baby and went behind the house and dumped it there. She was cautious but God caught her; our elder brother’s wife was just returning from somewhere and spotted Hembafan dumping the baby in the gutter behind the house". He said the account given by the elder brother’s wife, Mrs. Mtem Steven, was that a notorious boar was cooling off in the gutter when the baby landed near it.

He said Mtem Steven rushed to save the screaming baby but it was too late as the pig quickly grabbed him with his snout and sped off.

Terfa refused to give details, but neighbours’ accounts say in a matter of seconds, other roaming pigs swam in on this boar and fought hard, each dragging to get a portion. "In less than a second, not less than 10 pigs were around, dragging for a cut", said one neighbour. Another said: "The pigs tore the baby into pieces, each dragging away only a portion to fill itself. It was a pathetic sight".

The neighbours said not a sound was heard from the baby when it was being dragged since, according to them, the boar’s grip must have strangled it to death before the pig ran into the street to be joined by the others.

At an adjoining shack where jobless boys, mostly miscreants gather as early as 6:30am to drink and discuss the happenings around town or solve the nation’s plethora of problems based on their own understanding, the sight of pigs dragging a baby into small pieces was one of the stories read in some newspapers. "But it was real, anyway and we rushed to join other neighbours, but it was too late. The pigs disappeared before our sight with a chunk each", said one young man who first warned our correspondent about asking to know names, since according to him, "we are not small boys, look you can’t ask us of our names for you to go and publish".

The young man and his crew of fell over each other to tell the story. But this they were doing for a fee as at the end, each tabled his shopping list. In a group of seven young men, not one missed from demanding for a shot of liquor. Four out of the seven needed cigarette to accompany the throat-burning gin, and they were able to force enough money from this reporter to afford them a packet which they said will last them that morning’s drinking session.

"All of us young men were prepared to beat her to death", another added, disclosing further that they dragged her to the same gutter and forced her into drinking from it, while also punching her. It was at his time her uncle, Mr. Terna Tambe who was returning from town, came in and pleaded for mercy on Hembafan’s life. "Together we went with him to the Police station at the beginning of the street and invited the police. They rushed with us and took the girl with them".

The boys said they did not follow up to the police state since according to one, "police is not our friend. We did our part and not want to know what they were going to do on their part". He said they were called to make a statement but all of them warned the police, threatening to raze the station if their names are mentioned.

Puffing on a cigarette, one of them added simply: "See, I like pork, it is the most delicious meat. I hear the Chinese too like it, and that they have different ways of preparing it like us. It is the best meat and it is cheap, but I am beginning to think twice about eating it. Since that day, I have not tasted it. I can’t even think of doing it". He took this reporter round the houses until he was able to spot the swine that dragged the baby out for feasting among the pigs. Weekly Trust observed during the search that at every corner, there were not less than three pigs roaming or simply cooling off in some gutters. Inside Pa Anduur’s compound alone were five adult pigs struggling for space with humans. One of the pigs had 10 piglets suckling noisily under her length. The stench that comes out from every compound is heavy.

Terfa, Hembafan’s immediate elder brother said their uncle Tambe gave the police every corporation needed to prosecute the case. "The police detained her for two days before they transferred her to Makurdi on August 25. My father asked me to follow up, but before I could reach the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the police headquarters in Makurdi, she was already charged to court where she was remanded in prison custody", Terfa said.

The command Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Samuel Jinadu (ASP) assisted Weekly Trust to get information in Makurdi about the whereabout of Hembafan, but details could not be obtained at press time except that she was being charged to court where she was remanded in prison custody. Nevertheless, Jinadu said: "Investigation has commenced accordingly, and police would want to ascertain what became of the young lady. We want to know what must have been responsible for her action".

Posted: at 9-08-2008 11:39 AM (15 years ago) | Upcoming

Posted: at 11-08-2008 05:40 AM (15 years ago) | Newbie

if it is true then the young girl is a disgrace to womanhood cos she only reap what she has sown. y did she decide to have the baby when she knew he won't live to answer his name.  let her face the music.

Posted: at 14-08-2008 04:39 PM (15 years ago) | Newbie

nothing is new in the face of the earth and in this world any thing can happen
we can still hear happens more than ds one

Posted: at 22-08-2008 01:08 PM (15 years ago) | Upcoming

Omg!!!! Culd dis b 2ru?

Posted: at 23-06-2009 05:10 AM (14 years ago) | Gistmaniac

?

Posted: at 23-06-2009 08:55 AM (14 years ago) | Gistmaniac

i manged to read till d 2nd paragraph pls poster summary version would be beta
but how can a sensible human fed a fellow human to an animal ???naw i dnt fnk so

Posted: at 14-07-2011 04:46 PM (12 years ago) | Upcoming