BY FRED UYINMWEN
A Benin family is reeling under the pains of injustice meted to them by a brutal and powerful money lender in the neighborhood.
Sometimes in 2009, Pa Eghosa Agho fell sick,and was diagnosed of a heart related ailment. As his health deteriorated, his wife sought the help of a local money lender who instantly gave her some amount of money.
Eventually, Pa Agho died in 2011. Just then, Mr Johnson Esemude,the notorious money lender came knocking at their door. He wants his money paid with accumulated interest.
But the sickness and eventual demise of Pa Eghosa Agho, the family breadwinner, had taken a toll on the family’s economy. Unable to repay the loan with its accumulated interest, the entire Agho family are now at the mercy of the notorious money lender whose brutality had taken some persons to early grave.
But unlike many in the.past, the Agho family were not prepared for the woes that had befallen them due to their inability to repay the loan. They have been regularly harassed by the money lender and his legion of thugs
Life even became more unbearable for them when the notorious money lender demanded that he would let the family off.the hook only on the condition that late Agho’s only daughter, Angela agrees to marry him. It was a proposal that the young Angela roundly rejected as she was carrying a two month old pregnancy for her boyfriend. Besides, the young lady argued that Mr Johnson is rather too old for her comfort.
Mr Johnson ,the notorious money lender was further infuriated and decided to inflict more pains on the recalcitrant Agho family members, particularly, Angela and her socalled boyfriend.
The duo were constantly trailed, harassed and beaten on a number of times. To escape his wrath, they fled to Agbor in Delta State. But not long, they were caught up with Mr Johnson’s anger as his thugs again, unleashed terror on them.
Angela’s younger brother, Imafidon Agho who narrated the family’s ordeal to this reporter, said his family had gone through harrowing experiences orchestrated by Mr Johnson and his gang for nearly five years.
“We have gone through hell, and it appears our ordeal is not yet over as Mr Johnson continues to hunt the entire family “, he said. He further stated that Mr Johnson .is wealthy and powerful, and cannot be questioned by the police.
“We are helpless because we are dealing with a man who is feared by many and revered by the police.
“I have been attacked on a number of occasions . Just last week, my younger brother was attacked by some unidentified persons along the bank of Ovia river, near Iguobazuwa.He was severely beaten and pushed into the river to drown. He was however rescued by some good Samaritans and taken to hospital where he died as a result of excessive bleedings from the injuries inflicted on him. This is our predicament and it’s awfully painful by every imagination of the word”, Imafidon said.
He said for now, the Agho.family is resigning its fate to God while the fate of Angela and her boyfriend continues to hang in danger.
