By Kenneth Friday Ukpe
Over the years I have learnt that the media are very powerful, they make or destroy depending on their application.
There is a little favor I will like to ask of our generation, to "get details" if you are a journalist be investigative and not copy and paste.
I was an eye witness from an advantaged risky point. After the spider roof came down the whole environment was dead silent and then I started hearing a few screams for help.
I looked around for a moment and mostly where empty plastic chairs and when I was done helping the ones I could I left in despair. The figures I estimated where nothing close to what was magnified on social and news media, I went to Government House Clinic, Anua, UUTH, Lifecare and Dyme immediately I got to town.
Yes everywhere there was confusion and wailing in most, but few corpses where noticeable and more of critically wounded people before I left to catch my breath. On seeing print, social and electronic media reporting outrageous figures as Uyo gossips can filter I got troubled to go back to the hospitals I went earlier today, I visited both the living and the dead. I was shocked at what was true compared to the fake news.
At the emergency unit I did not find any of the victims there again and I asked the Nurses on duty of their whereabouts and they referred me to the orthopaedic male and female wards, I met 5 women and a boy and not more than 4 adult male but was walked out of the ward as the physicians where having their routines.
I begged to know where the remaining victims where and I was told to check at the morgue and the other survivors where taken to Ibom specialist hospital, in fact I met one of the male checking out, one Edidiong from Abak. I then strolled to the morgue, where I met 2 more guys that came in search of their friend I joined them we where escorted around the fresh corpses in 3 different rooms that contained the bodies from Reigners collapse and my rough count where about 10 to 14 persons, I told the attendant I did not find who I was looking for and he opened the register of the dead I glanced through 2 pages and the numbers where fewer meaning some where yet to be named.
I left to Anua but they had no corpses from Reigners, I then drove to Romaco Funeral home and the man said he does not have any of the bodies there that I should go to UUTH.
I can categorically say that the book of the dead did not register more than 15 to 25 souls. Let's not scare people to death. Fake news is worst than bad medicine. God help us all. #uyomourns
About aktrending
You're of all men most miserable with this STUPID blabbery. People like you have contributed heavily to the state of decay in this place. What are you accounting for? Really? An eye witness? Should we all pray to come see your body in the morgue and write and article saying you're just wounded? God forgive you.
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