How retired surgeon who defied Boko Haram caught Gov Zulum’s attention

Dr Isa Akinbode has spent more than 35 years in Borno State. The Ogun-State-born surgeon has seen it all – peace, crises and deaths, but remains unshaken in his resolve to save lives. He was abducted by insurgents, and on more than two occasions escaped being captured by the whiskers, but still remains faithful to his oath and has never turned his back on his patients regardless of their faith, ethnicity or situation.

“He was resolute in the face of crises; he does not fear. During a Boko Haram attack in Monguno, I had to make a small way to move him out. All he was saying was ‘let them kill me, I am serving the people’. That was what he kept saying,” Saratu Isa Akinbode said, while recalling some of the encounters he had with the insurgents.

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“During another attack, they were shooting and we went and hid in the theatre. In 2015, the day Boko Haram captured Monguno, we escaped through a bush path. We paid N50,000 to someone carrying goats and hens to share the van with the animals to Maiduguri,” Saratu, who spoke to our reporter on phone yesterday said, adding that her husband remained in Monguno even when indigenes fled.

The University of Maiduguri alumnus was on Friday honoured by the Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum, with a car gift and payment of benefit arrears for his diligence and commitment.

An aide to the Borno State Governor, Isa Gusau, in a statement yesterday said the governor approved the payment of N13.9 million and a car gift to him.

The 65-year-old surgeon joined the Borno State Government Civil Service after studying medicine at the University of Maiduguri. He was posted to several places including Gwoza but retired at Monguno having attained the age of 60.

“He offered healthcare services to patients even when the town was faced with the most severe threats posed by Boko Haram in recent years,” Gusau said.

While speaking during a phone conversation with our reporter, Dr Akinbode said he was retained and placed on contract by the former governor of the state. Though the contract agreement, ordered by the former governor, Kashim Shettima, was not formalised, he remained in Monguno offering voluntary services to residents.

“I was placed on a contract because people do not want to live in Monguno and I am a surgeon. It was what the (former) governor considered that made him say I should stay there, my wife is also from the state,” he said.

Zulum was quoted to have said people like Dr Akinbode need to be encouraged, “He lives in Monguno despite all the security problems. My predecessor had during his visit to Monguno directed that he should be engaged on a contract basis, unfortunately, due to some bureaucratic procedures his re-engagement has not been formalized. In fulfilment of the promise of my boss, I decided to reengage him on a contract basis retrospectively. We are paying all his entitlements in arrears; I am giving him a cheque of N13.9m. I have also approved his re-engagement from 2016 being the date of his retirement,” Zulum said.

On the honour, Dr Akinbode said he could not explain how he was noticed by the governor, adding that he always does his job efficiently, staying in the hospital regardless of the situation, and also caring for the less privileged in the community.

On his encounters with the insurgents, he said, “When I was captured, it was my good deeds that saved me because my captors recognised me as a doctor and I was freed.”

He said security rests with God, regardless of our best efforts at ensuring the safety of loved ones, and that has helped him to live above fear, “This is a predominantly Kanuri community and there is no problem, God is the only one that can keep everyone safe regardless of your location. I am not the only one here, there are people here and there are Boko Haram attacks too. People are afraid of Boko Haram because they kill and people do not like crises but it is not as bad as being reported,” he said.

He expressed gratitude to the governor for paying his benefits and giving him a car. “This is the second time the state has honoured me. I was given a Peugeot 406 in 2012 and now I got a Toyota Highlander. I cannot thank the governor enough for the gifts and for employing my children,” he said.

Mrs Saratu Isa Akinbode said, “I was overwhelmed so much that when I asked to talk, I prayed for the governor to remain as governor even without an election,” she said, adding that it was pleasant to witness the government rewarding her husband’s efforts.

“I have nowhere else to go. This is my home. I have seven children and I cannot leave them – two are graduates, one undergraduate and the rest in secondary schools and one of my daughters was also employed by the state governor,” Akinbode said, adding that he would continue his selfless service to the people of the community as long as he lives.

Governor Zulum also approved the recruitment of Dr Akinbode’s daughter, who studied Public Administration at the University of Maiduguri, into the Borno State Civil Service.