Friends of a music producer, Ebenezer Ayeni, are inconsolable and grief-stricken at the moment over the tragic death of the about-to-wed vocal instructor in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
The PUNCH gathered that 30-year-old Ayeni was shot by armed robbers who invaded his residence before dawn on Thursday.
According to his friends, the victim was rushed to the University College Hospital, Ibadan, and another private hospital but both medical centres refused to treat him without a police report.
Ayeni was said to have given up the ghost hours later. Photos of the victim in the pool of his blood have since flooded the social media.
Also, the friends of the deceased have taken to Facebook to mourn their beloved associate while also condemning the whole system that requires police report to treat a gunshot victim.
A Facebook user, Mc ShayorComedian, wrote, “Ebenezer Ayeni was shot in his residence during the night and he was rushed to UCH but he wasn’t attended to because of police report. He was also rushed to J-Rapha hospital in Ibadan and they also refused to attend to him because of police report.
“He gave up the ghost after struggling with life for more than two hours. We were planning your wedding next week and not your burial. Rest in perfect peace brother!”
Adegbite Adedamola wrote, “Ebenezer Ayeni, Rest in Peace brother. Next week Saturday should have been your wedding but who are we to question God? You battled for your life for more than two hours, and UCH was asking for police report without attending to you.”
So much to write about you: Ebenezer Ayeni. We still spoke not long and only for me to hear the news of your transition. You planned to visit me on Sunday to tidy (a) few things…What a nation we have found ourselves (in). He could have survived. Imagine, how can a police report carry so much weight than life?” Cylars Omoloye queried.
“I love you forever brother. Rest on. Two hospitals rejected you because they needed police report instead of saving your life first. It is well. What a loss,” David Justice commented.
“In Nigeria, we blame the government for everything. The nurse or doctor on duty is a human being who has blood running in his or her veins. Whatever the arguments are – government isn’t treating them well or they don’t have enough equipment – how about cases of simple timely care and a little bit of human sympathy? Rest in Peace Eben,” a furious Moninkanola Ogidan wrote.
Efforts to get the comments of the Chief Medical Director of UCH, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, on the incident proved abortive as his line was switched off as of the time of filing this report.
Also, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Adewale Osifeso, neither picked his calls nor replied to a text message sent to his line by The PUNCH.
Many Nigerians had in the past condemned the need to present police reports before hospitals could treat gunshot victims.
Earlier in the year, a Systems Engineer and winner of 2018 IBM competition, David Nketim-Rex, died after he was shot by robbers on a motorcycle in the Jibowu area of Lagos State. He was said to have died after he was taken to a hospital but rejected on the grounds that he was a gunshot victim and they couldn’t ascertain whether he was a victim or an armed robber.
