He told PUNCH his distressing account of the day he will never forget.
He said, “That morning, we all woke up quite early to have morning devotion. My wife then said she was going to visit an uncle at the old Jos Teaching Hospital. At around 8am, I said goodbye to my family and headed for the office. Later that day, at round 5pm, I got a call informing me about the bomb blasts in Jos. The first thought that crossed my mind was ‘my wife is in Jos.’ Immediately, I started dialling her number but it didn’t go through, I also tried that of my sister-in-law, but it didn’t go through too.”
Ishe said he began to panic and couldn’t control his emotion. In tears, he said he kept praying that his family would be safe.
On his arrival in Jos from Miango, he headed straight for the mortuary at old Jos Teaching Hospital, and right there he saw the bodies of his wife, daughter and sister-in-law.
“When I got to the mortuary, there were many bodies lying on the ground, I couldn’t bear the sight so I ran out and pleaded with someone to help me check if the bodies of my family members were there. The first picture the man that assisted me took was that of my daughter. When he showed me the picture, I broke down into tears. She didn’t look like the daughter I knew. He later showed me the picture of my wife and sister-in-law, I almost lost my mind,” he said.
“The corpse of my five-month-old daughter was burnt beyond recognition. I can’t believe my baby is gone. She was my favourite child, whenever I entered the house, she would start screaming. Sometimes, she would not sleep till I got home from work. I still can’t believe she is gone. I don’t know if I can bear her loss, coupled with that of my wife. Sometimes, I think I’m dreaming. My wife was my backbone and best friend. We were married for 16 years. Their deaths have left a void in my life.”
Ishe told SUNDAY PUNCH that if he had the slightest thought that he would lose his wife, Wiye, daughter and sister-in-law, Miss Christiana Sunday, all in one day, he would have done everything possible to stop them from leaving their home at Bassa Local Government, Miango.
He said leaving the hospital was one of the hardest things he had ever done in his life.
“I cried for hours, I knew I had to go home to take care of my other three children, but I just couldn’t get myself to leave the hospital, I was confused.
“I wish my wife had not gone to the Abuja Market after leaving the hospital where her uncle was. I heard that she said she wanted to quickly buy something at the market. It wasn’t up to 10 minutes after she left her uncle at the hospital that the bomb blasts occurred.”
Ishe said moving on with life would be hard for his children and himself, but the only thing that gave him joy, was that his wife is in heaven.
“My wife loved God; she was also good at heart, very hardworking. I still cry whenever I think about the role she had played in the family. She was a good mother and friend. I even encourage others who feel pained about her death to be strong because I know she is with the Lord” he said.
A cousin of the late Wiye, Phillip Garba, described her as a woman of virtue and that the world had lost a rare gem.
“I can’t believe she is gone, I find it hard to believe. She was such a good woman, very kind at heart. Her husband has been strong. At the funeral, he kept telling us to be strong. May God continue to strengthen him. Every minute, I think about them, I can’t eat. It’s just so painful,” he said.
When our correspondent asked Ishe what message he had for the government, he said, “Aside their good work, the government should try to enlighten the masses about security measures. Some people are ignorant about some basic security tips. If they see someone walking up and down suspiciously, they wouldn’t know what to do. The government and media have a major role to play in educating the masses.”
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