Here’s
a report of how Nigeria’s telecommunications company, Airtel allegedly
neglected a mother of two who had a major injury while in their office
when she went to buy and register a SIM card for her phone in Lagos.
Airtel on their part according to a letter published paid 600k as initial payment for her treatment before she died.
See graphic photos of the injury she sustained HERE and HERE.
Read the report according to Deereporters below…
“On
Thursday the 29th of December, 2016, Late Chika Alex-Etuk was like any
other Nigerian. On that fateful morning her intentions was to visit
Airtel office at 11, Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere, Lagos State to
obtain and register a new Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) for
her phone and to take her 2 children ages 6 and 7 years with her friend
who came on a visit from South Africa for shopping at a local shoprite
mall Surulere.
At around 1pm Nigeria time, Chika was in Airtel
premise and she was asked to fill out a form by Airtel staff which she
did, immediately she was usher by one of the Airtel staff to stay in a
position to take a photograph which was one of the requirements for the
SIM registration.
As she stepped to area directed by the staff,
the tiled floor on the spot where she stood caved in, Chika fell into a
sinkhole and her left leg got stuck there up to her knee.
She
sustained multiple lacerations to her lower leg, cuts around her thigh
and went into shock from the severe pain and loss of blood. Her children
where traumatized by the incident which has now affected them mentally
and physically.
Her Children were not shielded from the scene,
they watched in horror as a chunk of their mothers flesh laid on the
ground while she yelled out, for hours, in pain. The first son now (age
8) has developed breathing problem, he is not able to sleep well, while
the second son (age 6) is always in and out of hospital, not able to
communicate or play with other children.
The incident plus the
death of their mother has left the two boys severely traumatized,
especial the six year old son who is always afraid to sleep at night
because he wakes up sweating, screaming and calling out for the mum
(with tears) to come back home.
When one of our correspondence
visited the family, the deceased six (6) years old son said he told the
mother not to go out on that particular day.
As we gathered that
the response of Airtel was practically non-existent when the accident
occured. They all first ran out of the building according to on lookers,
few minutes Later they came back sporadically, they just stood there
and watched she laid in pain – some even ran away without looking back.
Eventually,
the late Mrs Chika Alex Etuk was taken to a near by hospital by her
friend and other sympathisers where she was refused treatment because
they could not handle the severity of the bleeding and injuries. She was
immediately rushed to St. Claire’s Hospital in Surulere, Lagos – the
staff of Airtel Network did not make any attempt to rush her to a
hospital or offer help in any way.
She
was later admitted to the Emergency Ward of National Orthopaedic
Hospital Igbobi, Lagos state, after a long stay in pain and agony at
Orthopaedic hospital, she later died on the 30th of January, 2017 after a
surgery was carried out on her leg as a result of the injury she
suffered in Airtel’s property, due to their instructions.
The
incidents that took Place in the premises of Airtel Network, which lead
to the death of late Mrs Etuk, were preventable if not for the gross
negligence of Airtel Network and their lack of human empathy. This was
corporate manslaughter.
To rob salt to the injury, Airtel Limited
offered Three Million naira (£7000 pounds) to Late Chika’s family as
compensation so that the news will not go public. Mrs Chika Etuk was the
bread winner of her family, which Airtel Limited was made aware but
they choose to make a mockery of her death knowing so many people who
depended on her including her two young handsome boys and aged mother.
The
Fourty three (43) years Late Mrs Chika Alex Etuk was a member of The
Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), a chucrh worker in the We Care
Ministy department of trem, a faithful wife, a mother, a sister, a
daughter, aunty, a giver and true christian.
Airtel Limited, we
gathered, has done nothing but offer empty words of fake condolence in a
series of letters in order to prevent a law suit.
Now two children of the ages 6 and 8 are left without a mother because of their callousness.
They
further insulted the family by offering them THREE MILLION NAIRA ONLY
(£7000) to cover up the story, even though Airtel is a multi billion
dollar company.”
