My Heart Bleeds For Dana Victims. May God Comfort Us

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Written by  NWABUKING IKEMBA

On Sunday 3^rd June 2012, the Dana 150+ were gruesomely expunged from the face of the earth. Like a bad makeup it was an ugly sight to face. A terrible nightmare that many people like myself are yet to awake from. What a tragedy! Another air disaster opening wounds of Sosoliso, Bellview and ADC crashes. Dana Air’s monumental loss eclipsed that of other crashes. Bizarre fact is that, all the crashes occurred only on Sundays.

I can’t unwrap my mind from the crash. Any little thing takes me literally to the crash scene, instantly a 3D clip of the horror and woes plays in my head and it won’t stop. I had a similar experience when I first watched the movie Titanic some years ago. I kept wondering what a horrible death those people died. It was more than a movie to me. I had to imagine deeply what they went through before their last breath. That experience is a miniscule fraction of how I feel now. It’s like I can picture clearly every horrific detail of the crash, especially the part that no one saw. I see a mother screaming her smoke-filled lungs out in the inferno to the point she’s choked and can’t yell again still, she desperately tries to protect her children. What could be going on through her mind? Is it regrets or accomplishments? I can imagine she made the children one promise or the other to fulfill in the Lagos. They were her cherished little angels sacrificed unnecessarily.

The air hostess who has searched entire eternity for a job and was finally overjoyed when she received a Dana air job offer letter. The businessman on a business trip which may or may not have been successful, I’m sure someone on that plane was told not to travel but the person refused so as to meet a deadline. The unfaithful spouse on a getaway with a secret lover, or the runs girl coming back from her business of giving sexual pleasure, the scenario is endless. Maybe someone went in place of the boss.

A boko haram supporter could’ve been amongst them. Digressing a bit, had Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab been on that flight with the intention of bringing it down but failed without anyone noticing, but the plane still crashed anyway, nobody would’ve known he’s a terrorist. You’ll be surprised the manner of people that shared their flight and gruesome death. The pastor prayed fervently for a miracle I believe. These unfortunate ones all had intentions and planned ahead unfortunately they didn’t see ahead.

Obviously everyone prayed to their God or gods to save them. I’m sure that, that mother taught her children that God is a merciful God. Such a bad time for God or gods to be swamped attending to needs of those not on that ill-fated plane you may say. Why will God allow such a calamity to befall them? Oh well we cannot question God or can we? He has our good intentions at heart no doubt.

I remember one man from my village that has this legendary ‘K-Leg’ that, without being high or drunk you may easily mistake it for the letter ‘X’. His wife loved him so unconditionally. I admire them a lot. They had no child but they’ve lived together till date. There was a time he broke his K-leg, somebody sympathizing with him said;

Sympathizer:   Oh God, why will he let such thing happen to you?

The Man         :   If it didn’t happen to me would you let it happen to you?

These sorts of accidents will always be among us like the poor just like the bible said but that doesn’t mean God is not watching us. God is watching. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says we should give thanks in all situation. Give thanks you weren’t among them at least. Give thanks that the number of victims weren’t a lot more than recorded.  However this is a lot easier said than done. I can understand the pain is too much to bear. I deeply grieve with you. I’m a victim too. Not because I lost someone, but by virtue of being a patriotic Nigerian, I lost everyone on that plane.

“Where There Is Death, There Will Always Be Death”. I heard that in Men In Black 3. Comparable to that quote is this one, “When It’s Your Time To Go, It’s Your Time To Go”

Applying the last quote, it’s safe to say all the Dana victims  would’ve died on that day one way or another even if they didn’t step foot on that plane. It may or may not be horrific. As a kid I stopped fearing death. The fear kills you several times before your actual death. Also I stopped shedding tears but deep inside me, I always cry an ocean. Something I express as ‘calm on the surface, tsunami underneath’. I lost a beloved younger sister a couple years ago, it was terrible. I know what it’s like to lose a loved one. Believe me I know.

But beyond death itself, which is inevitable is the question of how death was served. Was it quietly, peacefully or painfully?  The major issue devouring me is the manner they perished in such unimaginable anguish, plus those cute little angels whose bright future was nipped in the bud. That is driving me insane with sympathy. I really wished their souls were harvested peaceful.

I always say if I’m given the option to choose how I’ll relocate from the surface of the earth to six feet under the surface, it’ll be this; ‘At a ripe age, I go to bed in the night and never get up in the morning with a sleepy smile on my face implying mission accomplished. And everybody will celebrate instead of mourn. Who am I to say? It might just happen like I want it. I can’t imagine what the relatives and loves of the Dana victims are going through now. I feel deeply saddened. I feel tormented at the thought of the torture they passed through in the plane turned furnace. Even those little cute kids got roasted like that…… it’s so unfair. My heart is so heavy. I identify completely and sympathize with both the victims and those mourning them especially the Anyene family who lost 9 members. It’s only homo sapiens without a shred of humanity in them that won’t feel a profound sense of loss whether you know any of the victim or not.

Since death was certain, it would’ve been of utmost humanitarian service to bury a bullet in the brain of the Dana Air crash victims rather than let them go through that agonizing and torturous path to the grave.

I wonder the last words they said to their loved ones? Did they leave unsettled quarrel? On that plane was the good, the bad, the ugly and the evil but let’s leave judgment to God. I sincerely pray that their soul rest in absolutely perfect peace. And may God completely comfort those mourning them. As the nightmare preys on me, I also pray for my own peace of mind.