Four years after: Enenche Akogwu’s mum makes shocking revelations about Mark, Channels TV
She sits on a plastic white chair inside the market square when IDOMA VOICE Reporter caught her. The sun was faint in a grey sky. A shivery breeze blew out of a cold-looking horizon across Ede Market in Otukpa, the powerhouse of Ogbadibo LGA of Benue State.
Of course, the widow Mrs. Agnes Akogwu, mother of the slain Channels TV reporter, Enenche Akogwu was in her right frame of mind this day. As the reporter approaches, she spoke in low tones with other women in the market square. While you are lost in the suffusion of what they were saying, she greets you with a low, voice- “Good evening my son. Are you the reporter form Idoma Voice? she inquirers. Sorry, I came here to get something for our dinner.”
She takes your hand, not very firmly but pleasingly and friendly. She pulls a chair and asks you to sit. And without further courtesies, you press the red button on your midget for your mission.
Now, how do you ask a heart-broken mother to recall the life and times of her murdered son? For all intent and purpose, it’s like torturing an already traumatized woman. Yet, the grieving woman went ahead with the emotional recollection, displaying extraordinary courage. She punctuated her painful story with silent sobs.
Precisely, Thursday, January 20, 2012, her first son, Enenche, the famous Channel TV reporter’s life was cut short by the Boko Haram foot soldiers in the volatile city of Kano. The young chap who doubled as reporter and cameraman for the TV station was shot at close range while he was reporting the unveiling pandemonium at Farm Center police station in the state.
Four years after, Enenche’s name had been swept into archive of history. The whole world and indeed Channels TV and Kano State on whose the innocent blood was slain had forgotten about Enenche who left behind a widow mum and siliblings who he had promised to sponsor in schools. To Mama Akogwu, Enenche’s demise is still like a dream to her. Hear how she reacted when she got the news of her son’s death
. “The first question I asked was, how can my son, Enenche be dead? I am still in doubt. Because Enenche’s father died September 2010 and that was the last time I had a heart-to-heart discussion with Enenche about his career and future. I even advised him to get married but he refused. He insisted that his other siblings must further their education.
Asked what she missed about her son, Mama Akogwu recalled with nostalgia: “Since the demise of his father he has been the one taking care of the family. He never failed us. He was caring just like his father. He was committed to his job and loved it so much. Even as a kid, he had always been interested in broadcasting. He always wanted to be in the happening place, so that he can come home to tell us the story.
Now, he is not going to come home anymore and no one would tell us the story. “Even his father, who was a retired soldier, knew Enenche would do well as a reporter. Before his father’s death, He (father) predicted that Enenche would make us proud and till his last moment, he did. Like his father, Enenche was a brave man. Perhaps this is as a result of where he grew up from, because I gave birth to him in Ojo Barracks, Lagos when my husband was still in service. He left the Nigerian Army in 1981. His father’s death was a blow, but I must confess this is a heavier blow on me. I don’t even know where to start from again. Like I said earlier, Enenche was the breadwinner of the family. Until his death, he was hardworking, courageous and humble.
On whether the former Senate Presdient, David Mark and Kano State government were able to fulfill their promises, Mama Akogwu after a deep breathe said.
“I want to thank the ex-senate President, David Mark for his kind gesture during and after the burial of my son. I will never forget what he did when my son died. He was able to fulfill the promise he made. I want to also thank the Benue/Kano state governments for their financial supports when Enenche died.
Even the company where he worked was also supportive when he died. Some Idoma leaders also came to sympatise with us during the trying moments. I can’t thank them enough.
May God bless them. However, there were some persons who also promised to sponsor Enenche’s siblings in school during the burial but we haven’t heard from them ever since ,” she added IDOMA VOICE is glad to announce the late lamented Akogwu as one of the recipients of the Posthumous Award for his Courageous and Outstanding Journalism.
Treasure Orokpo
A multi-talented individual with a passion for diverse fields, Treasure Orokpo is a trained journalist, skilled cook, and AI enthusiast. When she's not uncovering the latest stories, you can find her whipping up culinary creations in the kitchen and entertainment.
