TheCable

While different families across the world enjoyed Christmas in the comfort of their homes or used it as an occasion to reunite with their loved-ones, Esosa Ukponayusi had his in a cell in Benin City, as the whereabouts of his mother was unknown.

A repeat of such Christmas for the Ukponayusis would be akin to hell.

Esosa’s mother, Enoyin, is a widow who sells bean cake popularly known as akara to eke out a living and cater to Esosa and his younger ones, aged 15 and 10.

Although the income from the petty business is inadequate to meet the basic needs of the family, their survival solely depends on it.

However, things took a worse turn when Enoyin got diagnosed with breast cancer. After all attempts to bring her back to normal health condition yielded no fruit, one of her breasts had to be severed to prevent the terminal disease from spreading all over her body.

After undergoing operation at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Enoyin was not allowed to leave the hospital for her inability to pay the bills.

Having spent eight weeks at UBTH with the management refusing to let her go until the bill was settled, the widow tried being smart by half but landed her eldest child into trouble.

“I t rushed down to the hospital from work on Wednesday morning; you know Wednesday was Christmas Eve,” Esosa told TheCable.

“I am supposed to be in school but I have taken to menial jobs in order to fend for my younger ones and my mother.

“So on that fateful day, I got my mother’s drugs and bought food on my way. As I got to the ward, I saw two men and a lady standing. I asked what was happening, they said nothing specific, so I went to my mother’s bed, she was not there, but her things were still there.”

Esosa said he felt she was having her bath or was in the vicinity to get something until the officials opened up to him that his mother had absconded.

“I didn’t agree with them. How could a patient who just had cancer operation run away?” he queried.

“I was first taken to the matron’s office, then to the security post. They alleged that it was one of the potters who made way for her to run.”

Lamenting his fate in the hands of the police, Esosa disclosed that his family had not been able to raise one-tenth of the bill and that it would take a miracle to offset what had now turned into a debt.

“My brother and I were taken to Ugbowo police station where the Chief Security officer (CSO) told us that we would not be released until they saw my mom,” he explained.

“The security men messed me and my brother up; they beat and tortured us seriously. Some people wanted to bail us but the District Police Officer (DPO) refused.

“After four days in detention, we were told that they had found our mother and we regained our freedom.”

“We have been looking for means to raise money but not been able to. Out of over N 437,000 that the hospital is demanding, we have only managed to pay N19, 000.”

Although mother and child were eventually released from the hospital on January 1, 2015, the trauma that the family experienced will remain indelible.