‘I gave birth to him at an old age’ — mother of slain LUTH doctor breaks silence

The mother of Stephen Urueye, a medical doctor stabbed to death in Lagos, says she experienced difficulty while giving birth to him.

The grieving woman simply identified as Aderonke had initially refused to open up on the tragedy that befell her family shortly after they were at the peak of celebration.

On Tuesday, Urueye lined up among the thousands of students who graduated from the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Less than 48 hours after, he was murdered by suspected robbers at a place called “canal” near the gate of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi Araba.

His aggrieved mother told Punch that she was hoping he would get married while she would live with his family.

The widow described her only son as “gentle”, asking his killers “what I did to deserve this type of thing?”

“Stephen was a covenant child. I gave birth to him at an old age. I went through hell during his delivery. It was through a Caesarean Section,” Aderonke was quoted to have said.

“As my only son, I had hoped he would get married and live with me with his wife and children. Death should have taken me instead of my only son.

“My son was a gentle boy. Only a few people knew him on the street where we live because he was easy-going.

“I want to see the killers of my son and ask them what I did to deserve this type of thing from them”

Urueye’s death happened four days after that of Kolade Johnson, a football fan, who was killed in the Mangoro area of the state by a trigger-happy policeman.

Nigerians have taken to social media to decry the insecurity in the country, calling on the government to take swift actions in ensuring the safety of lives and property of the citizens.