By Betty Luke
The family of the slain Isiolo land rights activist Elizabeth Ekaru Ibrahim who was brutally murdered 30 months ago has narrated how the death robbed them a guiding star who held them together.
The deceased sister-in-law Sylvia Asafar said the deceased was always present to listen to and offer guidance to her siblings on a range of life issues including family and marriage.
“Death robbed us of a guiding star. Her parents developed health complications (after the incident) and are yet to recover,” Ms Asafar told The Press Point.
Her children had to be quickly moved to a safe space where they would be closely monitored by the extended family and to ensure they could not psychological trauma.
“The death also hit the children hard for losing their pillar. Although the daughter is in school, she could be the most affected as she was the closest to the mother,” she added.
Ms Ibrahim, a mother of five, was stabbed to death by Patrick Naweet over a suspected land dispute during a burial ceremony within Isiolo’s Kambi Garba village on January 3, 2022.
Investigators told Meru High Court that the deceased sustained deep cuts on her thighs, hands and chest during the incident which sparked a public outcry among residents who are said to have descended on the suspect leaving him with injuries.
The suspect was rescued by police officers who rushed him to Isiolo Referral Hospital for treatment. He has been in police custody since his arrest.
Kambi Garba Senior Assistant Chief Habiba Hassan testifying before Justice Edward Murithi last year recounted how she found the late lying in a pool of blood while the suspect lay holding a blood-stained knife that allegedly committed the heinous act.
The administrator revealed that area elders were aware of a then existing land dispute between the suspect and the deceased and were planning on how to address it when the incident occurred.
She noted that Mr Naweet had lured Ms Ibrahim out of the burial ceremony pretending that he was ready to have the matter resolved before attacking her with a knife.
Mohammed Abdikadir who conducted a postmortem told the court that Ms Ibrahim died from excessive bleeding from the deep cuts she had sustained. The autopsy revealed that Ms Ibrahim had a 20cm and 10cm cut on her thigh and head.
A journey that has been hectic to the deceased family and human rights groups across the country ends on July 25, 2024, when the Meru High Court will deliver judgment over the case.
While the family expects that justice will be served, Ms Asafar has called on the state to ensure the protection of women whom she said if ‘killed anyhow’ would result in extinction of generations.
“It is sad that a woman mostly considered as a weak vessel is seen as a threat. The government must put in and implement strict measures to bring to an end cases of femicide,” she appealed.
