News

OPINION: The Witches On Portable’s Road To Madness (1)

Published

10 months ago

February 14, 2025

Editor

Tunde Odesola

Although it is invisible, 17th Century English philosopher, physician and medical researcher John Locke described a newborn’s mind as a tabula rasa – a clean, unused slate.

Born 224 years after Locke, Sigmund Freud, a Jew and the father of psychoanalysis, while unravelling the human psyche, said the human mind is divided into three parts – the Id, Ego and Superego – each respectively consisting of the primitive, realistic and moral instincts inherent in Man.

Well, I’m no Albert Einstein poring over heaps of ceiling-high books and scratching dishevelled hair with a quill pen, but I aver, in my limited knowledge, that the mind is the most important part of human physiology. Wait, I’ll defend my assertion.

It’s true that every part of the body is important, including the pores of the skin, nails and the hairs in the nostrils. Even science agrees that if the anus clamps shut and rejects to eject the reject, the whole body suffers. I agree, too.

To describe the abstract nature of the human mind, I go to the crossroads where three footpaths meet, where the bush burns without scorching the foliage, where shoes walk without its owners, and where the rain falls without touching the ground. The human mind is the expansive incubator and monitor of brain activities.

Modern medicine is both indulgent and redemptive; it gives genitals to the transgender and life to the comatose. Modern medicine has turned the Operating Room into a workshop where parts of the human anatomy, such as the heart, kidney, liver etc, go for a price, but the human mind has no spare parts or price. Living can still have meaning when other parts of the body ail, but not when the mind ails. When the mind is messed up, living becomes meaningless.

Ruminating over the elasticity of the mind, an incident that occurred during my National Youth Service Corps days in Enugu State over three decades ago came to mind. After writing my final paper at the Abia State University, Uturu, I was too sure I would be posted to the North for youth service.

I didn’t need to pray for my wish to come to pass, I thought. But lo and behold, I was posted to neighbouring Enugu State! I was crestfallen because I was eagerly looking forward to exploring the North and learning the Hausa language and culture.

“Didn’t these NYSC people see I’m a Yoruba who schooled in the East?” I asked myself many times, reading and rereading my deployment letter to see if there was a mistake in it. Well, bí isé ò bá p’éni, énikán kìí p’ése: when you get to the place of work, you put your hand to the plough.

So, from ABSU, I headed straight up to the NYSC Orientation Camp at Awgu. After three weeks of orientation, I got a letter of deployment to Umuopu Secondary School, Umuopu, in Igbo Eze-North LGA.

The whole of Igbo Eze-North was a palm tree belt noted for superb palm wine: fresh, undiluted àjáàbalè. Umuopu was a beautiful and accommodating land whose centenarian Onyi Isi would have me sit by his side when he held court on market days. I was a VIP because I was the first ever ‘youth corper’ to accept to serve in the land.

Despite building a well-furnished ‘corpers’ lodge with a generator to boot, the pull of Aji, a neighbouring town with electricity, was irresistible. More so, Aji had a highway and a full-fledged secondary school, whereas Umuopu only had a junior school.

As their school-leaving examination approached, the students, together with the Parent-Teacher Association of Aji High School, approached me and my NYSC colleague, Johnson Umor, to move to Aji to teach since the Umuopu school had gone on holiday.

So, Johnson and I rented the top-storey apartment of the popular traditional shrink, Enwe Nwanjo, the late father of Emmanuel, a jolly good fellow. Emma, our landlord, had a beautiful wife called Emilia and a lovely daughter, Kasie. Emma was the elder brother of Florence, my friend, who lectured at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Florence, I learnt, had gone to rest in heaven.

In Aji, I met a black goddess named Eucharia. Her dimple was the wink of an angel; her smile – the gentle giggle of a Tesla cranking to life in mockery of fuel scarcity. Eucharia was the sister of the vice-principal. Together with her uncle, Eucharia lived on the left wing of the top floor while we, the two Corpershon, occupied the spacious three-bedroomed apartment on the right wing.

I can’t remember what woke me up in the wee hours of that fateful night. But I remember clutching a packet of Consulate cigarettes and a bottle of stout and getting on to the balcony to savour the midnight breeze and pipe to myself.

I swig my drink; I use no cup. After a couple of swigs and smoking my cigarette halfway, I remembered Eucharia. “Did she eventually go home to Nsukka for the weekend or not?” I asked myself. With unsure steps, I walked to her door.

I made a coded hoot in front of her room. No response. She must be sleeping. But the blue light in her room was on. I increased the hoot a little, mindful not to wake the whole house up. Still no response. I peeped through the keyhole and nearly suffered a heart attack.

Right there she was, my Eucharia, in bed with another man! I knocked on the door gently, but they only changed their sleeping positions, her head resting on the man’s chest, snuggly. I drew hard on my cigarette again and again and again and again. I was wearing the NYSC white T-shirt over white shorts, and the night was bitingly cold.

So, I went back into my flat, peeped into Johnson’s room and saw he had been sent on an errand by Hypnos, the Greek god of sleep. I wouldn’t have told him about Eucharia, anyway. I put on a pair of trousers, a jacket, socks and NYSC boots; it was going to be a long night, I reckoned. I got another big stout, and I returned to the balcony, smoking, drinking and pondering. Today, today, I must know who the invader was. I was prepared to stay up all night just to know who was knifing my yam with òbe èyìn.

I smoked, swigged and went back to the keyhole repeatedly. Though the room was bathed in dim blue light, I could see them. Their shapes were unmistakable on Eucharia’s narrow bed. Ha! Olopa o! I went back to the hallway to resume my night watch, smoking, swigging and wondering.

The clock ticked past 2 a.m. and headed towards 3 a.m. as the cold bit harder. “Umm, dis guy go comot today.” I wasn’t going to fight, but I was curious to know. I began to contemplate, “Who could it be?” “It must be an old working-class man”. “It must be a shameless married old man.” Thoughts swirled in my mind.

Slowly, the clock ticked past 4 a.m., and I knew the time was nigh when the thief would make a run for it. I lay in wait on the vast balcony, replenishing my drink and cigarettes.

Then, I heard a sound in the distance. I looked towards the road where the sound wafted from. The sound became a song as I made out a little crowd strolling up the road in the morning haze.

* To be continued.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com

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News

27-year-old Man Dies Inside Deep Well In Ogbomoso

Published

11 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

The corpse of a 27-year-old man identified as Alagbe Gbemisoye has been recovered from a deep well at Ire-Akari, Adeniran area of Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

His body was retrieved by officials of the Oyo State Fire Service after passersby alerted them to the incident.

The circumstances that led to the deceased falling into the well were still unclear as of the time of filing this report.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Fire Reforms and Chairman, Fire Services, Moroof Akinwande, said his men were alerted by a running caller and Mr Ajayi Olayemi.

“Fire personnel led by CFM Oladejo promptly deployed to the scene. On arrival, it was discovered that a man of about 27 years old, named Alagbe Gbemisoye, had fallen into a deep well. His body was recovered and handed over to the DPO, Owode Police Station,” he said.

Akinwande urged the public to always observe safety precautions in their daily activities and emphasised the importance of having fire extinguishers in their homes to prevent fire incidents.

News

Bauchi Records 75 Homicide Cases, 28 Kidnapping Cases, Others – Official

Published

11 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

The Bauchi state Ministry of Justice says it recorded nothing less than 75 homicide cases, 28 kidnapping cases and 86 cases of rape in the 2024-2025 legal year.

Barr. Hassan Usman (SAN), the Bauchi state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, stated this in Bauchi on Tuesday during the commencement of the 2025-2026 legal year ceremony.

“In criminal cases from January to date, we received a total of 91 robbery cases, as against last year which was 83 and we received 75 homicide cases.

“We were served with motions for bails and other motions totalling about 256 and we received about 86 rape cases and 28 kidnapping cases.

“In total, we received a total number of 592 criminal cases and out of this number, 97 have been disposed of, 15 were discharged through legal advice, 454 are pending,” said the Commissioner.

According to him, given the high volume of cases recorded, the Ministry developed strategies to fast-track prosecutions in line with the administration of criminal justice law that emphasised speedy trials by setting timelines of filing charges in court and proceeding.

While explaining that Gov. Bala Mohammed approved the release of N7.8 million for the purchase of law and other practice books for their library, Usman added that Mohammed also approved the release of monthly funds to settle all outstanding judgement debts owed by the state government.

He appreciated the governor for his benevolence, unwavering commitment and exceptional support for the Ministry of Justice in the state.

Earlier speaking, Justice Rabi Umar, the State’s Chief Judge, lamented the recurrent practice of arraigning suspects in court without proper preliminary investigations.

She added that in many cases, efforts to gather evidence were only initiated after the trial had begun.

“This backward approach to criminal prosecution significantly delays the process and undermines the delivery of justice.

“It is unacceptable that in 2025, we continue to see such practices, which contributed to the overwhelming backlog of cases in our courts and ultimately eroded public confidence in the Justice System.

“To resolve this and other identified lapses, a Committee was set up to review the Bauchi state Administration of Criminal Justice Law and come up with a Draft Law that will stand the test of time,” she said.

She however, affirmed that any lawyer that didn’t adhere to the prescribed dress code for legal practitioners in the state would not be permitted to appear in court, adding that such a disregard for professional decorum undermined the prestige and global respect that the legal profession commands.

In his speech, governor Mohammed said that the three arms of government in the state had been working harmoniously and in synergy without compromising their constitutional autonomy.

Represented by his deputy, Alh. Auwal Jatau, Mohammed said that he has been giving the two other arms of government the necessary support and cooperation to ensure that they all operated optimally without any hindrance.

News

HIV: 29,874 Bauchi Residents Under Treatment, 650 Infants Recover From Infection – Commissioner

Published

11 hours ago

December 2, 2025

Editor

The Bauchi State Government has said that it is currently treating a total of 29,874 people living with HIV with Antiretroviral treatment across the state.

Dr. Sani Mohammed Danbam, the Commissioner for Health and Social Welfare, disclosed this while speaking at a press conference jointly held with partners to commemorate the 2025 World Aids Day.

According to him, HIV affects the most vulnerable in society: the poor, the uneducated, the marginalized, women, and children.

He said AIDS remains incurable, but no longer has to be a death sentence.

Speaking on the HIV situation in the State, Danbam said, “as of today, a total of 29,874 people living with HIV are receiving (Antiretroviral Therapy) ART and the State has scaled up to 863 HTS/PMTCT facilities, where the general population and pregnant women receive free HIV services.

“This year, we have successfully placed 2,246 newly diagnosed HIV-positive individuals on antiretroviral treatment, and over 650 HIV-exposed infants have achieved 100% early infant diagnosis and remain free from HIV infection.”

This year’s theme for World Aids Day: ‘Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response’, Danbam said is to reflect the challenges caused by recent funding cuts and other setbacks, and “it reminds us of the need to build a stronger, more resilient and rights-focused approach as we work toward ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.”

Also, the Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Diene Keita, noted that in spite of advancements in medical technologies and public policies, progress made over decades was increasingly jeopardised, with prevention gains eroding as essential services struggled to reach people at elevated risk.

Represented by Deborah Tabara, Gender/Reproductive Health Analyst & State Programme Officer, UNFPA Bauchi, stressed that severe cuts in international aid were destabilising HIV prevention efforts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where millions relied on donor-supported programmes to access accurate information, prevention tools and essential community-based support.

According to Keita, almost 2.5 million people have lost access to lifesaving Pre-exposure Prophylaxis due to shrinking resources, with countries recording half of last year’s new HIV infections experiencing the harshest consequences from dwindling funding.

Tackling gender inequality, violence and stigma in healthcare systems and societies more broadly will be instrumental in reducing factors that put people at risk of HIV. Integrating HIV services into routine sexual and reproductive healthcare, including family planning and maternal health, would make them more readily available to many women and girls.

“At this crossroads in the AIDS response, UNFPA continues to support countries in sustaining and improving HIV prevention, particularly for adolescent girls, young women and key populations, along with providing treatment and related services.

“The combined efforts of governments, international organisations, activists and communities have led to remarkable progress on HIV, saving nearly 27 million lives to date. Now, we need to come together and finish what we know works and what we know is possible – an AIDS-free future for all.”