Ogun Factory Worker Crippled After Chinese Boss Attack
Ogun Factory Worker Crippled After Chinese Boss Attack
-Odunayo Ajani
A staff of Bedmate furniture in Magboro Ogun state, who has been identified as William Ekanem has sustained a spinal bone injury after his Chinese boss, Master Wen allegedly engaged in a kung fu fight with him.
It was gathered from the report that Master Wan, had demanded to see a bag of rice which Ekanem bought from a foodstuffs seller, Iya Melo, on the premises of the company.
And then, the 27-year-old had reportedly repelled such a poky attitude into his privacy and then challenged his Chinese boss who is said to be skilled in Kung Fu.
After checking the content forcefully, Ekanem said he was leaving and then, Master Wan allegedly gave him a kick in the back, which sent him to lie flat on the ground.
Master Wen was reported to have stamped his foot on the victim before he was rescued by some other workers on the premises.
After this incident with his boss, it has been noted that Ekanem can no longer walk properly or even stand erect.
In a chat with PUNCH correspondent, Ekanem said the case was reported at the Ibafo Police Station, and the Divisional Crime Officer allegedly took an N50,000 bribe from the Chinese company.
The officer was said to have collected the bride so as to exaggerate the assault, accusing the Uyo indigene of what he never did.
In a chat with Punch correspondent, Ekanem noted that the incident happened sometime in April.
“I joined the company on January 7, 2007, and rose to become a foreman, overseeing black workers in a department of the company. Despite working for long, my salary is only N34,000. I don’t have an identity card and I am not a member of staff just like the rest of the over 300 workers at the company.
“Sometime in April 2017, I approached the foodstuffs seller on the premises to give me rice and groundnut oil on credit pending when we would be paid our salaries at the end of the month.
“I was taking the foodstuffs to the office when Master Wan demanded to know what was inside the bag. Because he didn’t understand English, I simply said, ‘rice, chop-chop’.
“He dipped his fingers into the sack and checked it. I protested against the action. He hit me in the chest as I collected my bag from him. I was walking away when he suddenly gave me a kung fu kick from the back. I fell. He charged at me with his foot and pinned me to the ground. I lay on the floor and started groaning with pain as some people came to drag him away from me.”
Ekanem said he was afterwards taken to a Private hospital in Arepo area where he was been treated.
It was later learnt that Bedmate gave Ekanem N10,000 for his medical bills while the Nigerian manager, Lekan, guaranteed that the company would pay all of his medical expenses.
The test was conducted on Ekanem after his first visit to the hospital which later resulted to been told to resume the next day for a specialist treatment. On his return, the next day which was a Monday, the result showed that his spinal cord had shifted.
About the time of the incidence, Ekanem’s wife was pregnant and has eventually delivered.
Ekanem who could no longer bear the pain went to the company to request for his salary so as to aid his treatment.
“I went to the company to collect my N34,000 salary. When I got there, they gave me N24,000 and said they had removed the N10,000 they gave me for my feeding and treatment at the hospital. I broke down in tears at the company. I could not believe they could treat me so shabbily. I left in anger. I was thinking about the situation on the road when I slumped,” he said.
Ekanem alongside human right activists reported the case at the Ibafo Police Station.
On getting to Bedmate alongside policemen to arrest Master Wan, Master Wan has already run away.
Lekan alongside the policemen waited for several hours but couldn’t see Master Wan.
“When it was getting dark, Lekan promised to bring Master Wan to the station by 10 am the following Monday. He followed us back to the station and promised the DCO that he would personally bring the man. He gave the DCO N50,000 in our presence,” the victim said.
After receiving the money, the DCO allegedly supported the company and scolded Ekanem’s brother for resolving the issue peacefully.
“I started crying. I told him that if I were his son, would he say such a thing to me? Shortly after, the Chinese head asked me and my brother to excuse them. As we were stepping out, I sighted him giving the DCO another envelope.
“Our lawyer arrived shortly after and started an argument with them. The lawyer threatened to report the DCO to the Area Command and transfer the case from the division,” the 27-year-old added.
Ekanem was said to have been referred for further check-ups and treatment at the General Hospital, Owode.
Ayo Durojaiye, The company’s lawyer later said the company had decided to give the victim N134,000.
“The lawyer said it was because I was hungry that I looked malnourished. He said the company had instructed that I should spend N100,000 on my feeding, and take N34,000 as my salary. He said I could return to work afterwards. My lawyer disagreed with him and expressed disgust over my treatment,” he added.
Ekanem’s lawyer, Felix Emeruwa, demanded an apology from the company and payment of N50m compensation.
In a letter addressed to the Area Commander, Shagamu Command, Emeruwa accused the company of attempting to suppress justice in a case of assault occasioning harm, inhuman treatment, and discrimination. In the letter, he also accused the Arepo hospital of compromising medical ethics to please BEDMATE.
“As we speak, our client is seriously emaciated, suffering several pains at the back and dying gradually as a result of the attack on him by the Chinese man. We believe that the spinal cord of our client is now seriously affected. We consider the action of Master Wan as cruel, wicked and an attempt to subject the life of our client to the sacred form of sadism,” the letter read in part.
A medical test conducted by Divine Touch Hospital, according to Emeruwa, revealed that Ekanem suffered “loss of lumbo, sacral curvature, and associated muscle spasm resulting in his inability to walk, bend and flex.”
When Dr. Dotun Odofin of Divine Touch Hospital was contacted he said Bedmate never pay a dime for Ekanem’s treatment.
He said, “Physical examination showed that there is a loss of curvature. The effect of that is that there is a problem with his mobility. He cannot stand straight or walk freely. I brought in a physiotherapist for the treatment. What he actually needed was to complete his treatment which will span for a month.
“He does not need any surgery or any other treatment. The physiotherapist charged N100,000 for one month and two weeks treatment.
“While he was here, I made a deposit of N10,000 for him. Nobody has given me anything. I was even the one feeding him. I gave him N500 every day.”
The doctor at the Owode general hospital, who did not want to be identified, said the victim was not exaggerating the effect of the assault.
The Nigerian manager of Bedmate, Lekan, insisted that the victim was pretending, adding that he could not talk about the incident.
“I can’t say anything on it because I was not there when it happened between them. The only thing I know is that the guy is pretending,” he finally added.
Bedmate’s lawyer, Durojaiye, promised to get back to Punch correspondent after a meeting with Emeruwa.