By Nehru Odeh
Stephanie Ajibo Olitex has become an instant celebrity. And she has cause to celebrate. She and her little baby narrowly escaped death at the hands of terrorists when they attacked St Francis Xavier Catholic church in Owo on Sunday, 5 June. According to her, about 100 people were killed that day, though workers at the Federal Medical Centre and Saint Louis Hospital, both in Owo, where the dead and the injured were taken to, confirmed that .a total of 35 persons were brought in dead. And Stephanie, still in shock, has been thanking God for that narrow escape.
Still, the astonishing thing about this lady, who hails from Nsukka in Enugu State, is that she was supposed to celebrate her birthday the next day. She is alive not just to celebrate another birthday but also to tell her story. She gave graphic details of how she survived.
“We were inside the church when they started shooting from the outside. People at the back started running towards the altar. Some jumped fence, our priest escaped through the sacristy with the help of our catechist. By the time I ran towards the Sacristy door, it was already locked by members who were able to reach there before me. I had to hide myself under the cupboard inside the choir room with the baby in my hand. He shot somebody right in front of me near the Sacristy door. He looked around, when he didn’t see anybody or sound, he went away. He was masked, loaded with Ak 47,” Stephanie wrote on her Facebook page.
Adaugo Ekenedilichukwu, her friend and classmate also confirmed the incident. “My classmates and friend is celebrating her birthday today after a near death experience yesterday.
“When I heard of the shooting incident yesterday, my heart jumped, then remembering her family worships there made me weaker. I was even scared of reaching her number.
Happy birthday Stephanie Ajibo Olitex , you’re a living testimony.
Stephanie, who attended University of Nigeria, Nsukka, works at the Federal Medical Centre. Owo.
Here is Stephanie’s account of how she narrowly escaped death on Sunday.
“We were inside the church when they started shooting from the outside. People at the back started running towards the altar. Some jumped fence, our priest escaped through the sacristy with the help of our catechist. By the time I ran towards the Sacristy door, it was already locked by members who were able to reach there before me. I had to hide myself under the cupboard inside the choir room with the baby in my hand. He shot somebody right in front of me near the Sacristy door. He looked around, when he didn’t see anybody or sound, he went away. He was masked, loaded with Ak 47.
“Note that the distance between the heavily loaded gunman and me was like kitchen to dinning. Our choir master who was hiding with us was shot on his chest before he ran into the room with us.
“I pray he survives the bullet.
“They killed children, youths and elderly. We’ve recorded almost 100 death and still counting… I came out alive and escaped through the fence that demarcated our church from the Palace of Olowo of Owo Kingdom and ran to the palace for the fear of the unknown.
“The baby with me is safe, I’m also safe.
“Happy birthday to me