How I lost my Wife,Daughter & Sister-inlaw in the Jos Bomb Blast-Heartbroken Teacher

Mr. Chris Ishe, a teacher at Kent Academy, Miango, Plateau State,lost his wife,daughter and sister-in-law to the Jos Bomb Blast on 20th of May..He told Punch his touching story

That morning, we all woke up quite early to have morning devotion. My wife then said she was going to visit an uncle at the old Jos Teaching Hospital. At around 8am, I said goodbye to my family and headed for the office. Later that day, at round 5pm, I got a call informing me about the bomb blasts in Jos. The first thought that crossed my mind was ‘my wife is in Jos.’ Immediately, I started dialling her number but it didn’t go through, I also tried that of my sister-in-law, but it didn’t go through too..

He said he began to panic and couldn’t control his emotion. In tears, he said he kept praying that his family would be safe.

When I got to the mortuary, there were many bodies lying on the ground, I couldn’t bear the sight so I ran out and pleaded with someone to help me check if the bodies of my family members were there. The first picture the man that assisted me took was that of my daughter. When he showed me the picture, I broke down into tears. She didn’t look like the daughter I knew. He later showed me the picture of my wife and sister-in-law, I almost lost my mind,

“The corpse of my five-month-old daughter was burnt beyond recognition. I can’t believe my baby is gone. She was my favourite child, whenever I entered the house, she would start screaming. Sometimes, she would not sleep till I got home from work. I still can’t believe she is gone. I don’t know if I can bear her loss, coupled with that of my wife. Sometimes, I think I’m dreaming. My wife was my backbone and best friend. We were married for 16 years. Their deaths have left a void in my life..I cried for hours, I knew I had to go home to take care of my other three children, but I just couldn’t get myself to leave the hospital, I was confused.
“I wish my wife had not gone to the Abuja Market after leaving the hospital where her uncle was. I heard that she said she wanted to quickly buy something at the market. It wasn’t up to 10 minutes after she left her uncle at the hospital that the bomb blasts occurred.My wife loved God; she was also good at heart, very hardworking. I still cry whenever I think about the role she had played in the family. She was a good mother and friend. I even encourage others who feel pained about her death to be strong because I know she is with the Lord”