My brother was billed to become a prof soon —Sibling of murdered UNIJOS lecturer

Chesil Drenkat recounts the events leading to the killing of his brother and University of Jos lecturer, Dr Nandi Drenkat, by gunmen who also abducted his six-year-old daughter, in this interview with JAMES ABRAHAM

Can you tell us what happened?

I was told that the assailants came around midnight and broke into my brother’s residence through the back door. The noise woke up my brother and he stepped out of his bedroom to find out what was going on. It was in the process of asking the gunmen who they were and what they wanted that they shot him.

How did you learn about the sad event?

I got the news of the incident at about 12.24 am on May 16 from a young man, a relative of mine, living in the boys’ quarters of my brother’s house. He had sneaked out of his room when the gunmen arrived, heard them clearly and seen them shoot my brother in the head and abdomen.

He also saw the killers abduct my brother’s little daughter before they left the compound. He immediately called me on the phone and narrated what happened.

Where were you at that time of the night?

I was at home. I live in Bukuru in Jos South Local Government Area, which is about 30 kilometres away from the University of Jos Senior Staff Quarters. Before I arrived in my brother’s house, some of his colleagues and neighbours called to inform me that they had carried him and were heading to the Jos University Teaching Hospital. So, I took another route to meet them at the hospital.

By the time I got to the hospital, my brother’s lifeless body was already lying in the mortuary. They were only waiting for me before they could wheel the corpse into one of the compartments in the mortuary. It was, indeed, a very devastating experience.

Is it true that your brother’s daughter has been released by the gunmen? How is she doing now?

She is doing fine. But I wouldn’t say that she was released by her abductors. The police and other security agents rescued her. While the abductors were still demanding a N10 million ransom, the security operatives suddenly swooped on them and rescued her.

Let me commend the rapid intervention of the police, led by no other person than the state police commissioner, Edward Egbuka. He led a team comprising the Deputy Commissioner, the Area Commander and the DPO of Nasarawa Gwom Division.

By the time we came back from JUTH, they were already here at the staff quarters. I met them there. That same team went into action to rescue my niece the following day. So, it is the most commendable police intervention and rescue mission I have ever seen in recent times.

Are you satisfied with the way the matter is being handled by law enforcement agents?

Yes, I am very satisfied with their actions so far.

How have they handled it so far?

I was made to understand that it was the combined effort of a team of security agencies put in place by the Commissioner of Police that raided the hideout of the criminals. With the rescue of the deceased’s daughter from her abductors and the meeting the Police Commissioner had with journalists, during which he paraded the prime suspect who was caught with the weapon that was used in killing my brother, I am satisfied. But of course, investigation is still ongoing, particularly to unravel the motive of the gruesome killing.

How would you describe your late brother?

He was a loving, likeable, amiable, intelligent and resolute young man. He was 49 years-old. He was a very determined person. Immediately after getting a diploma in education, he didn’t stop studying until he bagged a doctorate degree.

He was first a non- academic staff in the Department of Audit of the university. When he excelled in his studies, the university saw the need to convert him to an academic staff and that became a reality in 2008.

It is very sad that he ended this way. Just as he was about to start enjoying the fruit of his labour, these wicked agents of darkness came and terminated his life.

Have you any idea of what he aspired to achieve in life?

I think his ambition would not be outside his profession. My brother had aspired to become a professor. Even as a PhD holder, he had his publications intact. His elevation to the rank of a professor was just a matter of time.

What was the last discussion you had with him?

We had a discussion around 5.30pm on the same day he was murdered. It was my last discussion with him. Can you imagine that!  We had a telephone conversation that evening before he was murdered. I wanted to know how he was doing, against the backdrop of restriction on movement and non- payment of salaries for several months. We had a hearty conversation when we met at the junction leading to the gate of the teaching hospital. I didn’t know that would be the last time I would see him alive.

Losing a loved one can be very distressing. How are you coping with his absence?

Honestly, I feel as if I am an orphan.  My younger brother was my close confidant. He was one person I could freely relate with on any matter. He was the kind of person I could count on to come to my rescue anytime I needed help. We value each other so much that the relationship between us was interdependent. I think I will miss him until I leave this world.

What kind of person was he?

He was a lively, vibrant, lovable and vivacious person. He was not only intelligent, but also dedicated to his job as a lecturer. He was not the idle type and related with other people easily. He was not troublesome.

If his killers had known the kind of person he was, I am sure they certainly wouldn’t have killed him. I am sure that if they were in need, my brother would have come to their assistance. His death is really painful and devastating to the entire Drenkat family and to all those who knew him when he was alive.

Why do you think your brother was specifically targeted by his assailants among other residents of the staff quarters?

The police have already made an arrest and rescued my brother’s daughter who was abducted during the incident. So I don’t want to make any comment that might jeopardise  further investigation on the matter. I cannot speculate because investigation is still ongoing. I will reserve my comment and allow the outcome of the investigation to answer the question.

Where do you think the assailants came from?

I think investigation by the security agents will also unravel that. So, we are waiting.

What can the university do to prevent a reoccurrence of this sad event?

From my own observation, even though I am not an insider and I don’t live in the staff quarters, I do know that the hills surrounding the staff quarters, the porous boundaries and the dilapidated fence that is in dire need of rehabilitation, have left the quarters very open to trespassers and the residents exposed to attacks.

I think it is high time the university authorities secured the entire environment. If they can also consider the possibility of mounting CCTV cameras in strategic locations, that, to a great extent, will boost the security of the staff and students as obtained in advanced climes.

The management of the institution may have to do something urgently about the structural defects of the buildings in the staff quarters. I want to assume that as of the time the houses were constructed, the crime rate was very low. Now that banditry, cultism and many other crimes are rife on the campus and the lives of lecturers, as well as that of their families, are constantly threatened, there is a need to also set up a solid security apparatus in the university.

The management should deploy patrol vehicles in the staff quarters to boost security. It should also rehabilitate all the roads in the staff quarters. I believe if these measures are put in place, the crime rate within the university environment will be drastically reduced.

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