Delta: Villagers Mourn Dead Briton Volunteer, Say We’ve Lost Our Angels

Dr Ias Squire

It was all tears and lamentations for Dr Ian Squire, a man who left his thriving practice in Shepperton Surrey, to offer succor and sight to poor residents of Enekorogha in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta state.

The 57-years British optician was dastardly hacked to death by dare-devil kidnappers on October 13.

On Friday thousands of residents of Enekorogha gathered to mourn him.

Same day, they also called on the Nigerian government to save them from avoidable deaths and the possible invasion of the community by remnants of the arrested ‘militants’ who kidnapped the Britons.

The villagers, in their numbers, bore placards with varying inscriptions expressing their grievances over the heinous killing of the ‘white man’.

They lamented that the captors had killed and chase away the ‘angels’ sent to rescue them from diseases and death.

But they want security agents not to rest in their oar in ensuring that the leader of the kidnappers, one ‘Karowei’ who’s currently at larger is arrested.

ALSO READ: BREAKING! Militant Who Killed Briton, Ian Squire Shot Dead In Delta, Another Arrested

Comrade Michael Ogobiri,is the leader of the sleepy Enekorogha community. He led the mourners on the procession to the house of Dr Squire where he lived with his colleagues until he was abducted and killed.

Ogobiri said that the absence of the ‘white men’ was a minus to the well being of the community.

With their exit, the clinic established by Dr David Donavan is now at a standstill. The health of the villagers is at grave danger as the nearest medical facility to the community is at Bomadi, some two hours drive.

“Dr Ian’s death is a painful death to the entire community. We’re at risk of common diseases God was using the white men to save is from.

“Here, there’s no health centre. We have to cross the river and board a bike to Bomadi for medical attention. Their absence means we’re in grave danger.

“We’re not happy about their death. We’re morning his death that’s why we are sending message to his family and the crew members.

“They’ve been helping us in terms of medical care for children, women, aged in all the villages

“We want the world to know that we’re against what happened to the Britons. We’re totally against it. It’s a great loss to us.

“The death has led to the closure of the clinic. Everything is shut down. The loss of Ian is pains to us.

“We want security agents to ensure that ‘Karowei’ is brought to book. If ‘Karowei’ still exists, then we’re not safe.

“That means other foreigners who may want to come and assist us will not come because of Karowei,” Prince Ogobiri lamented.

ALSO READ: IGP’s Crack Police Detective Who Engaged Captors Of Briton Dies After Surgery In Delta 

Other women, elders and children, who spoke during the procession, also lamented the death of Dr Ian and the return of the other crew members to the UK.

They described the exit of Dr Ian, Dr Donavan and the foundation crew from the community as loss of a great gift from God to the community, calling on the missionary foundation to return to the community.

“They’re a gift to us from God and somebody from nowhere has come to kidnap that blessing from us,” an elderly man in the village enthused.

However, some of the villagers told BigPen Online that the deceased and other crew members of the foundation had earlier rejected the local security provided by the community on the ground that there was no need for it.

“We had set up a local vigilante for them before, but they rejected it because they said they believed in God and they’re missionaries.

‘We never believed such could happen. They’ve been here since 2007.

“They came this time to sensitize communities on free eye clinic coming next February,” Comrade Ogobiri further disclosed.

The Britons, David Donovan, his wife Shirley and Alanna Carson all well as Dr Ian, were in Nigeria to offer cataract operations and eye check-ups to people of the Ijaw community.

As of October 13 when they were kidnapped, 100 patients were said to have been penciled in for cataract operation next February while four indigenes of the community had been trained abroad to compliments efforts of the missionaries.

The British Foreign Office announced his death on Monday, saying that the kidnappers captured him and three others Britons from their accommodation to demand ransom. Squire had been founder and chairman of Christian Charity Mission for vision since 2003.

Written by Julius Eras-Olabowu

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