MAN KILLED FOR URINATING!

A Nigerian man was killed by the Chinese authorities for answering the call of nature? This Nigerian was killed because of mere urination and Icheoku says if the Chinese authority is so fastidious about people not urinating in public in their country, they should provide adequate public urinary for people with need to go, to make use of. To kill a person for simply urinating in public is rather arbitrary - it is an excessive reaction! It is using a hatchet where a scalper is called for and must be condemned by all men of good will!

The Nigerian, Mr Ojide John Ekene from Umuleri Anambra State Nigeria, was allegedly clubbed to death by Chinese security operatives for allegedly urinating in public. The victim was on a business trip in China when medical condition forced him to want to go immediately; but seeing no public urinary within the vicinity of his location, decided to just do it by the street corner. It was while he was doing his thing that he was spotted by some overzealous Chinese operatives who arrested him and while "interrogating" him the Chinese-style, cracked his skull. The rest is now history as the Chinese added yet another victim to their ruthlessness. Icheoku asks, does it mean that public urination now carries a death sentence in China?

Condemning this senseless murder, the Nigerian House of Representative described it as extra-judicial killing; emphasising that it has "become a recurring decimal for Nigerians to be harassed and killed by some blood thirsty security men in foreign lands". To this Icheoku retorts that such practice persists because there is no responsible government of Nigeria in Nigeria to defend her citizens world-wide. There is no government in place in Abuja with enough moral high ground to command respect and be respected by those "foreign lands". If Nigerian house of Representatives want Nigeria to be respected, they should start the quest first, by putting their house and country in order! Respect is not a chieftaincy title which is readily conferred but it is earned! The Nigerian house of Representative can start this march to earn respect of these "foreign countries and their operatives" by enabling a conducive environment for conducting free and fair elections in Nigeria. Also disqualifying those members of their House of Representatives that are known members of the 419 international crime syndicate! Thereafter, they should all stand for fresh elections as there was none previously. They should permit the people of Nigeria to actually choose by and for themselves who their representatives are, with their votes properly cast and counted. A credible election and not the current imposition by the ruling elites is a road-map to earning respect! That will be a good first step towards getting some respect, Nigerian house of Representatives! No serious person anywhere in the world especially their leader of the world really listen to a bunch of election-riggers with some 419 criminal membership on any important issue including the death of a citizen of that country. Pretend all you can as to your importance or lack thereof, you are just playing the ostrich thinking nobody know who you are - a bunch of disreputable political hacks!

Icheoku took a little excursion into the world of public urination to see if it is a widely frowned happenstance or just restricted to China? We discovered that in Hialeah Florida, United States of America, a man was shot and killed for urinating in public. According to the narrative, the victim was repeatedly asked to stop urinating along 79th Street and West 5th Avenue in Hialeah. He refused which resulted to a fight wherein another man pulled out a gun and shot the victim in the chest. The good news however is that unlike the Chinese incident, the shooting of the unarmed urinating man was not carried out by agents of the state; the culprit here was arrested and is currently facing prosecution for homicide.

Also in India a man was recently killed for urinating in public. According to the Times of India story, a retired colonel was arrested on Saturday afternoon for allegedly killing a 40-year old man who was urinating near the boundary wall of an Army colony. The police said that colonel V S Yadav was arrested for the alleged murder of Faimuddin, a resident of D block slums near Vasant Vihar. Faimuddin was on his way to Shankar Vihar from Vasant Vihar along with his friend Bunny to play holi. Shankar Vihar is a residential colony near the Indira Gandhi International airport. They stopped near a boundary wall where Faimuddin started urinating. According to the police, colonel Yadav who is the security in-charge of the colony saw Faimuddin urinating and in a fit of rage beat him up. One of the blows proved fatal due to which Faimuddin collapsed and died. The Delhi Cantonment police is investigating the case.

Again in Brisbane Australia, a man was killed as recently as October 10th, 2008, for urinating in public. The victim died after being tied up and beaten because he had urinated on their wall. The Queensland Supreme Court on Friday heard that 47-year-old Thomas John Standish, from Lawnton north of Brisbane, died after being punched repeatedly and having masking tape wrapped around his head. Michael John McPhee, 41, and Damien James Frame, 28, then dumped Mr Standish's body in Goong Creek at Beachmere, north-east of Brisbane.
The court was told they tied bricks to Mr Standish's body, wrapped him in a doona and used a knife to slit his stomach to allow water in so he would sink faster. Icheoku says all because of ordinary urine which evaporates within few minutes? They were arrested and charged with murder but later plead to manslaughter and interfering with a corpse. McPhee was sentenced to eight and a half years in jail while his accomplice Frame was sentenced to seven and a half years.

Again the Chinese authorities arrested a Chinese table-tennis player for public urination outside a Beijing karaoke club. The Chinese table-tennis star Wang Hao was however not killed, unlike the Nigerian; but was merely cited and asked to get counselling. He was a two-time Olympic singles silver medallist. This is the idle thing to do in such a situation, but to kill somebody becuase he urinated in any place regardless, is somewhat over-reaching, scandalous and smacks of arbitrariness and an official lynching! It is condemnable!

In San Francisco, public urination is a crime but unlike the Chinese treatment of the Nigerian, it is not punishable by death! Emptying one's bladder in a public place is a crime, even if there is no specific law prohibiting the practice, a state appeals court once ruled. Public urination on or near a busy commercial street interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of both life and property which otherwise qualifies as a public nuisance. "The sight and smell of urine are vile and offensive but Icheoku adds, it does not merit a death penalty since it is just a quality of life issue!

Icheoku found out that from America to India to Australia to China there is a near impulsive reactionary resentment to public urination primarily because of the quality of life issue implicated thereby. However a man should not be killed for such a trivial answer to a call of nature; especially where public conveniences for such private moments are nearly non-existent. Such reckless taking of life calls for probe, arrest and trial of the culprits! Upon conviction, the Chinese authorities should pay restitution to the family of the victim to compensate for the loss of life and income expectations. Anything short of this will not be palliative enough. Also if the Chinese authorities are magnanimous enough, may be an added apology will be necessary. Lastly, Icheoku condemns this senseless taking of life particularly as it appertains to this very victim who had a medical condition (he was diabetic) which spurred the urge for immediate bathroom relieve. According to eye witnesses, there was no public restroom within the vicinity hence the victim's decision to empty his urea-sack on a street corner. Should he have been ticketed for this, you bet! Should he have been arrested for breaching public quality of life, sounds reasonable! Should he have been fined for this, Icheoku answers in the affirmative! But should he die for such triviality, Icheoku says, WE DON'T THINK SO! The Nigerian authorities, if any, should hold the Chinese authorities accountable for this abhorable homicide and extract from them both compensation and apology for and on behalf of this unfortunate victim's family. It is very unfortunate that the average Joe-Nigerian is on his own as her government neither cares nor gives a rat's ass about her citizens welfare! What a country!