TRAGIC MOMENTS OF 2016

DSP and orderly beheaded in Port Harcourt
The country is yet to come to terms with the violence and bloodletting that attended the rerun elections in Rivers State finally held earlier this month.
Along with scores of people killed, injured or declared kissing at the time were a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP Alkali Mohammed and his orderly who were killed and beheaded during an ambush at Omoku, Onelga LGA in Rivers.
Fidel Castro
The revolutionary leader, who led Cuba as prime minister for 17 years and then as president for 32 years, was declared dead on November 25. Born on August 13, 1926, he took office as Prime Minister on February 16, 1959 before assuming the position of president on December 2, 1976 until he transferred his duties to the vice president who is also his brother, Raul Castro in February 2008. This followed a period of medical leave which started on July 31, 2006.
Fred Agbaje
Foremost human rights lawyer and activist, Fred Agbaje, is one of the big names we lost in Nigeria this year.
The death of the legal expert reportedly occurred on Saturday, November 24 although is chambers later issued a statement noting that he died in Lagos and not London as widely reported.
Described as “a highly detribalised Nigerian, a thoroughbred lawyer and a man of principle,” the Edo State-born lawyer served as the in-house lawyer for Ben Bruce’s Silverbird Group among other positions.
He was said to have been nominated for the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) three times but failed to make the final list. He was said to have made it clear he would not lobby anybody for the title.
Bukky Ajayi
When organisers of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA) decided to honour veteran actress, Bukky Zainab Ajayi to and bring her on stage for the 2016 edition held on March 5, many were moved beyond words.
On her own, she was overjoyed and deeply appreciative of the gesture but when the woman, who was honoured with the Industry Merit Award along with October 1 actor, Sadiq Daba, died on July 6 at the age of 82, it turned out to be a masterstroke as it ultimately became her last public outing.
Having passed on at her Surulere home, the thespian who dazzled in Irapada and Critical Assignment among others, was buried the next day at the Atan Cemetery and it remains one of the biggest losses in the entertainment arena this year.
Nomoreloss
Widely regarded as a multi-talented singer and comedian, 2016 also marked the end point of Nomoreloss as he was pronounced dead on March 31 at the age of 39.
Popular for his hit songs including “Iyawo Asiko” and “Let Them Say”, the talented singer was said to have been diagnosed with Typhoid fever although a source close to the deceased said he had been sick for a while before the time.
Nomoreloss gained popularity in 2002 upon featuring in Ruggedman’s classic noholds- barred rap song titled “Ehen” produced by OJB.
He had been a presenter on a music TV show on now defunct TV station, MBI known as Groovoidz before then and in 2006, he released his debut album, Let Them Say.
He is also credited with write Jaywon’s hit song, ‘This Year’ back in 2012 and beyond music, he will be remembered for his priceless role as the coordinator of the Save OJB Campaign during OJB’s kidney crisis 3 years ago.
OJB Jezreel
The pang of grief is indeed alive among entertainers and those who follow the entertainment scene in Nigeria.
For it is in this same 2016 that we mourned Nomoreloss, ordinarily a young man that was full of life, and Babatunde Okungbowa, better known as OJB Jezreel.
An ace producer and talented musician who has remained relevant through the years, he produced some of the greatest hits in the history of R&B and Hip Hop in Nigeria.
Apart from “African Queen” delivered over ten years ago by 2face Idibia, OJB Jezreel single-handedly produced Face 2 Face the album that catapulted 2face to greatness beyond the African music scene.
He went on to work with popular Jamaican act, Bennie Man as well as Ruggedman, Jazzman Olofin, Weird MC, Paul Ik Dairo, Daddy Showkey, Sir Shina Peters, Olu Maintain, Faze, Iyanya, D’banj, Durella, Wizkid, Yemi Alade among others.
Stephen Keshi
Born on January 1962, Stephen Okechukwu Keshi, former Super Egales defender, captain and later, coach, was pronounced dead on June 7 2016.
Having earned 60 caps for the Nigerian national football team, Keshi retired as the nation’s second-most capped player at the time and after captaining the Super Eagles to victory at the Tunisia ‘94 African Nations Cup.
He also played club football in 5 countries, notably winning the Belgian league championship with R.S.C. Anderlecht in 1991.
Upon his transition to the bench, Keshi achieved success by qualifying Togo for the only FIFA World Cup appearance in the tiny West African country’s history in 2006 but left the position prior to the tournament and was replaced by Otto Pfister.
He later coached Mali, then Nigeria, becoming one of only two people, along with Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary, to have won the Africa Cup of Nations as both a player and a coach after leading Nigeria to victory in the 2013 edition in 2013.
Totally unprepared for such, new of Keshi’s untimely death after a bout of heart attack, on June 7, 2016 in Benin City shocked the entire nation.
Keshi, who was educated at Saint Finbarr’s College in Akoka and St. Gregory’s College, was 54. 6 months earlier, he lost his wife, Kate with whom he fathered 3 children, to cancer.
Shaibu Amodu
If the death of Stephen Keshi on June 7 was stunning, that of Shaibu Amodu, was even more unnerving. Nigerians could not reconcile the fact that Amodu died just three days after Keshi’s death and upon which he visited the latter’s family. Having made his name while managing club sides such as BCC Lions, El-Kanemi Warriors and Shooting Stars in Nigeria as well as Orlando Pirates in South Africa, Amodu was drafted to manage Super Eagles on three occasions apart from acting as NFF’s Technical Director in 2013.
Olorogun Felix Ibru
A Nigerian architect, Senator and the first democratically elected Governor of Delta State, Felix Ibru held the position of President General of the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU) until his death on March 12. Ibru was born on December 7, 1935 at Agbarha-Otor in the Ughelli North local government area of Delta State to Chief Peter Epete Ibru and Chief (Mrs). Janet Omotogor Ibru as the second of seven children.
Olorogun Michael Ibru
The patriarch of the Ibru dynasty, Olorogun Michael Ibru died this year just over 100 days to his 86th birthday. His death occurred in Florida, United States of America after battling some health challenges in the last few years of his life. He founded the Ibru organisation, today one of the largest conglomerates in Nigeria but essentially made his fortune trading in frozen fish before branching out into other areas of the economy including palm oil production, tourism, timber, publication, poultry among others.
Female NYSC Corp member
Many Nigerians renewed their call for the scrapping of the National Youth Service Corps following the death of a serving member, Ifedolapo Oladepo in Kano. One of the graduates mobilised for the 2016 Batch ‘C’ service year, the 26-year-old first class Transport Management graduate of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho, died about a week after she bid her relatives goodbye in Osogbo, Osun State. Her death has raised the suspicion of family members, friends and fellow corps members who alleged that Ifedolapo could have been saved if she had been given the necessary attention by the NYSC authorities at the Orientation Camp in Kano. Believed to be in good health when leaving for the Orientation Camp, her death raised numerous questions about the state of health facilities at NYSC orientation camps across the country. She is not the only young Nigerian or even corps member to have died this year but her death a lot of attention and response from the leadership of the NYSC.
Yinka Adeparusi
Award-winning photojournalist at NAIJ, Adeyinka Adeparusi, was reported missing a few weeks ago. Not long after, the death of the gifted man of the lenses was confirmed as he was reported to have been involved in a motorcycle accident in Abuja that led to his instant death. The 37-year-old graduated from the Lagos State University with double honours in Photojournalism and Cinematography and friends and associates say the deceased journalist is a recipient of numerous awards including the People’s Choice Award for Human Rights Photography in Africa, German Development Media Awards in 2013 and photojournalism award at the 6th Wole Soyinka Award for Investigative Reporting in 2011.
Prince
At 57, Prince, American superstar and one of the world’s most iconic musicians, died on April 21 at his Paisley Park home and studio in Minneapolis. As confirmed by his publicist, his death brought to an end a life of magic and wonder with the undeniable lining of mystery. According to a press release from the Carver County Sheriff’s Department, deputies arrived at Paisley Park at 9:43 a.m. and found Prince unresponsive in the elevator, he was pronounced dead at 10:07a m, with the cause of death linked to an overdose of … A week earlier, Prince was hospitalized after his plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Moline, Ill but he was released a few hours after. His 1978 debut album, For You and selftitled second LP, released in October 1979, kicked off an incredibly prolific run of albums that included 1999, Purple Rain, Around The World In A Day, Sign O The Times and Batman, among others.
Muhammad Ali
Born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr, the world sees one of the greatest sportsmen who converted his name to Muhammed Ali, as more than a boxer. Widely regarded as one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century, Ali remains known as an inspiring, controversial, if deeply polarizing figure both inside and outside the ring. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, he began training as an amateur boxer when he was 12 years old. At age 18, he won a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome and by the time he died on June 3 this year, his “The Greatest” nickname has become a duly earned title. It is clear, without any shadow of doubt, that his name, for his boxing skills, his bravado and all-round activism, will live through generations yet unborn.
Crash of plane carrying Brazilian footballers
The sporting world was forced to a halt when reports that lane carring players of the Brazilian team known as Chapecoense, had crashed in Columbia. Hours after, fans of the team gathered at the football club’s stadium in Chapecó, Brazil, to mourn the players and staff killed in the plane crash. The incident made Brazil declare three days of mourning after crash which killed 75 players, journalists and crew members. At least six people, including three players – Alan Ruschel, Jakson Follman and Zampier Neto – survived the crash. Two crew members – Ximena Suárez and Erwin Tumiri – and journalist, Rafael Valmorbida, also survived, according to Colombia’s civil aviation authorities but the tragic incident overwhelmed the world as it was right described as a “a tragedy of huge proportions”.
James Ocholi
As the curtains of 2016 are being drawn, one of its blots remain the death of James Ocholi, then the Minister of State for Labour through a fatal accident along the Kaduna – Abuja highway along with his wife and son, both of whom also perished in the accident. Ocholi, whose death was confirmed in a Facebook post by Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was born November 26, 1960. Young Nigerians commended his brilliance and general performance of the late Ocholi during the ministerial screening in 2015. A 55-year-old lawyer who became Senior Advocate of Nigeria in 2007, Ocholi was a governorship aspirant in Kogi State on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change before serving as Deputy National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress.
Collapse of Uyo church building
With the collapse of the building housing Reigners Bible Church in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom capital on December 10, Nigerians began the mourning of deceased loved ones while family members also started running around to ensure the treatment of survivors. With the casualty figures in the sad incident put at between 30 and 40 by some and 100 by others and over 50 others injured, Nigerians were at least not in doubt that it was a tragedy of monumental proportions.
82 Nigerian missing soldiers
A shocking report revealed in October that 82 Nigerian soldiers, including a commanding officer, were missing days after they were ambushed by Boko Haram insurgents. Pressed, the Army confirmed the attack but without giving further updates. Reports indicate that about 22 of the fleeing soldiers were later rescued by their Nigerien counterparts and dispatched to a hospital in Diffa while several others were fatally wounded after Boko Haram opened fire on them when they jumped into the River Yobe. The missing Commanding Officer of 223 Tank Battalion in Gashigar, was identified as K. Yusuf, a lieutenant colonel. It took the military almost a month to declare that 46 soldiers were missing after 22 of them were found and although it later revealed a sizeable number returned to base, no proper account has been provided for the 82 missing soldiers and their commander
SOURCE.. NEW TELEGRAPH