It was a story of humans not predicting what will happen tomorrow, if not, 19year old SS1 student of Ishieke High School, Ikechukwu Oke, wouldn’t have embarked on dry fasting for 41days which almost left him dead, a situation that would have defeated the essence for the fasting.
Fasting as known has been a spiritual exercise to seek favor from God mostly during a dreaded situation.
But In Ikechukwu’s case, the outcome was different as he has landed himself in more trouble than anticipated. At the time of filing this report, he is fighting between life and death at Alex Ekwueme Teaching Hospital.
In an interaction with the victims family members and friend, Ikechukwu who is from Ezza North has been struggling to make ends meet, despite being enrolled in school by his elder brother Obinna who is a mechanic and leaves at Ishieke Campus of Ebonyi state University.
During holidays, he usually travels to Onitsha, Anambra State where he hawks sachet water and gala to raise his school fees and cater for his aged mother who is a widow.
In a bid to overcome poverty, on July 23, 2019, he decided to embark on a 41-day and nights dry fasting to see how God can help his family, without even hinting any member of his family.
Ikehukwu decided to carry out the 41-day dry fasting at a popular prayer mountain at Azugwu in Abakaliki metropolis, the exercise was already concluded but his look became terrible. It got so bad that he couldn’t stand without assistant from others.
And when his little strength got exhausted, he collapsed on the prayer ground, sending those who came for the same spiritual exercise on their heels.
Luck smiled on him when two brethrens went to his rescue and took him to his elder brother Obinna, who invited patent medicine dealer and he was placed him on drip and some other drugs and he was revived.
The news about the young man’s dicey condition further got to the ears of a former House of Representatives member in the state, Hon. Peter Edeh, who directed that Ikechukwu be taken to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (AE-FETHA) for proper medical examination and immediate treatment.
“He is unable to speak but arrangements have been made to take him to hospital. His mother, a widow, is with him now. On a notepad beside him, he listed some of his problems which include constant spiritual attacks, family afflictions, and other academic and financial problems, he reiterated.”
On a visit to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki, where the victim was undergoing medical treatment, his mother Elizabeth Oke, spoke to newsmen stating: “Ikechukwu Oke is my fifth son; my husband died in 1996. Ikechukwu’s elder brother, my first son, took him from me to assist me in training him since their father is no more alive and things became very difficult for us. He was enrolled in school by the elder brother. After school closes in any academic session, Ikechukwu always visited me to work for me in the farm.
“After assisting me in the village, he would move to Onitsha, where one of his sisters is living. The sister, who is one of my daughters, was adopted by someone and has been in Onitsha. So, Ikechukwu usually goes there to live with them and hawk pure water and gala to raise money for his school fees. After hawking the water and gala, he usually comes back to inform me that he has gone back from Onitsha for his studies.
“He told me that he would still come back to me after seeing his elder brother, so as to harvest cassava on our farm to process and get the garri he would use and go back to school for his feeding. His brother thought that he had gone back to see me not knowing that he went for dry fasting and prayer on a mountain in Abakaliki here.
“His brother decided to come home to know why he wasn’t back to town for his studies. I became surprised because he left long before the brothers visit. I didn’t know he was going for 41 days dry fasting. Nobody knew because we wouldn’t allow him to do such long fasting. Though, he has been fasting and praying but this one is the longest.
“People brought Ikechukwu to the hospital and he was dying. They alerted me in the village and I trekked long distance under heavy downpour to come and see him in the hospital. When he was revived in the hospital, I asked him why he did such fasting without our consent he said we would not have allowed him to do it, if he had mentioned it to us.
“He lamented that things were becoming more difficult for us and he had to do the dry fasting for God’s intervention. We are actually suffering; we started suffering immediately I lost their father. Things are very difficult for us. Nobody asks whether we exist or not. I usually work as a labourer and they pay me N1, 400 daily from which I have been using to carter for my children. I almost lost one of my hands while doing the tedious job. It is a hard job. My son, Ikechukwu’s elder brother told me to stop the work but I don’t have other means of survival.
“Ikechukwu always complains of our condition and always do fasting and prayer for it. He usually complains that we are not moving forward, no improvement in our poor condition. He started his prayer in early stage when he was 11 years old. We are all Catholics and Ikechukwu belongs to Charismatic organization in the church. He also belongs to various prayer groups in the church while I also belong to charity organization.
“We are all committed in the things of God and we have been begging Him to have mercy on us and change our story for good, she cried out.”
His brother, Obinna also shared the same sentiment with his mother, stating: “Ikechukwu is my younger brother. He is a healthy person and does not suffer any ailment. He lives with me in Ishieke where I work as a mechanic. He told me that he would like to visit our mother in the village and assist in her farming activities since school has closed for the term.
“It was on July that he said this to me and that he would visit our sister in Onitsha after helping our mother in the village. He promised to return to me and then left. He has no telephone line as to know how he was doing. I decided to go to our village and check on him. When I asked of him, I was told he has gone to Anambra State.
“While I was working in my site at Ishieke, people came to me and said that my brother, Ikechukwu has been brought back home and that he was dying. I asked who carried him home and I was told it was two persons, who said that they went for prayer at a mountain in Abakaliki where he collapsed. They said he did 41 days fasting and prayer without tasting anything. They told me that on the last day of the prayer, he collapsed and they decided to carry him home after inquiring where he comes from.
“I asked him why he decided to do that type of fasting without telling me because he was supposed to be taking water or fruit during such long fasting. He said there was no cause for alarm and that he decided to do the dry fasting because of our condition which he had severally complained have gone worst”.
“My brother wanted to become a Reverend Father but there was no one to assist him which was why I had to enroll him in secondary school, so as to join Junior Seminary after graduation to know if he can actualize his ambition.
Felix Nonso, who happens to be Ikechukwu’s close friend, noted that the victim had sought assistance from government and private individuals following the family’s poor conditions but to no avail especially sponsoring him to actualize his dream of becoming a Catholic Priest.
“Fasting has been part of his life, though he has never embarked on dry fasting. He was still reading his Bible while being administered to by the doctors. Engr Peter Edeh, called to attend to him. All thanks to God, who preserved him for 41 days and nights dry fasting. I want to enjoin you who have the heart of assistance to ensure this boy ends up in theology school,” he pleaded.
