“What did I do to deserve this? When has turning down a request for a relationship become a sin?”
These are the questions that have been pouring forth from the devastated mouth of Francisca Ogbu, a first-year undergraduate of the Federal University of Technology, Yola, Adamawa State (FUTY), who was recently bathed with acid, allegedly by a man seeking an affair with her.
Looking devastated on her hospital bed at the female surgical ward of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Francisca painted the picture of a gloomy future and a jinxed academic career. “My education has already suffered and I don’t think there is hope again,” she declared as tears rolled down her disfigured cheek. The glowing face of yesterday has been battered, no thanks to a certain Bright, the lover boy, who allegedly bathed her with acid.
Francisca’s ordeal started last year after gaining admission into the department of economics at FUTY. “One boy, called Bright, has been requesting to go out with me. He is not in my department. He was in 500 Level. He even bought gifts sometime ago but I rejected them. I told him I was not interested because I was very new in the school and I saw his request as a distraction,” she told our reporter.
She said she thought the matter was over but unknown to her, the lover boy had some evil intentions. “I was reading in a classroom one day with a candle, because there was no light on campus that night. There were other people in the classroom. At about 11.30 pm, somebody called me to come out of the class but I refused, insisting that it was late and that I was reading. Then, I heard somebody calling my name again from outside. It was a familiar voice and I was encouraged to stand up from my seat and look out from the door. That was all.”
The decision to look out for the caller through the classroom door was Francisca’s greatest undoing. All she could remember moments later was the unbearable pain from the acid poured on her. With a badly damaged right ear which has since been cut off, the destiny of the young lady, the second in the family of seven, changed. She was rushed to the hospital in Yola and subsequently referred to the UMTH. Unable to hold back her tears, Francisca lamented that her education has suffered. “I want to go back to school,” she kept saying. She said the incident, which happened barely a month after her matriculation, had shattered her dreams.
To return to school, she would need to undergo more treatment and facial surgery in India and it would cost over N5 million, excluding travel expenses and feeding but then, her parents, who have been supportive since the incident occurred, cannot afford the amount. In fact, her father, Mr. Ogbu, a civil servant, was said to have expended his entire savings on the treatment, which was initially borne by FUTY.
“The man was here last week and I really pity him. He is totally broke. He has expended his savings on the treatment of his daughter. He said he had sworn that the only legacy he could give his children was education but the man is now sad because he seems to believe his vision has been truncated,” an official at the UMTH told Daily Sun.
It was gathered that Bright, the suspected lover boy, has been expelled by FUTY. He was also said to have been picked up by the police and released later. Francisca is appealing to the government, corporate organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to assist her financially so that she could go for surgery in India as well as realise her dream of going back to school.
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Posted: at 19-09-2011 06:03 PM (13 years ago) | Addicted Hero
living in amsterdam and the only way to overcome homesick is washing nigerian movies on naijapals.but sometime i read a lot of stories on naijapals let me believe that there is no low and govement in nigeria.anyone can kill, rape , still, trow acid on a young lady and been release at any time.before i have a lot of respect for nigerian people but know i understand why the dutch goverment don't want to see them at all.when someone sick for resident permit,the try to legalise that person but someone from nigeria is consider like a criminal and animal.
Posted: at 19-09-2011 06:28 PM (13 years ago) | Newbie
MAKE DEM CATCH DE MAN,BATH HIM ALSO WITH THE SAME RAW ACID,,EYE FOR EYE,THOOTH FOR THOOTH,,SHIKINA,NO NEED TO GO TO COURT OF LAW FOR THIS KIND WICKEDNESS.
Posted: at 19-09-2011 06:29 PM (13 years ago) | Newbie
syvester at 19-09-2011 07:00 PM (13 years ago) (m)
na wa even to visit that so callede naija now na scaring issue. how somebody can do that to his follow human being. so sad history, an this is not court issue they should just do desame to him pls.
Posted: at 19-09-2011 07:00 PM (13 years ago) | Newbie
What a pity with all this fellow human being doing to one another. It's sickening really, but rubbing salt to the injury was the release of the Bright form Police custody. Was he not responsible for truncating other fellow students life by pouring an acid upon her? Did he ever denied doing it or what was the reason for releasing him from custody than prosecuting him in the court of law, what were his parent doing to the other parent to ameliorate their suffering or were they not the reason the girl was scared for life by their son or what was the reason for his expulsion from the school. What was the school too doing for the family of the girl to help in relieve or were they chiding from their responsibility of fiduciary duty to their students should situation like this happens than to leave all to the family of the girl to bare it all alone and to seek other fellow citizens to help to mitigate the expenses. The family of the girl should request the service of an attorney to advice them accordingly as to what their legal rights are and pursue it vigorously so that each knows their responsibility according to the law.
Posted: at 19-09-2011 07:04 PM (13 years ago) | Upcoming
Youngstoriez at 19-09-2011 07:36 PM (13 years ago) (m)
:'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(...This is NOT cool!! Inhuman....that guy dont deserve to live anymore, his cup has full too!!..think he has been doing that to girls around too.....
Posted: at 19-09-2011 07:36 PM (13 years ago) | Gistmaniac