Shocking Death

Social and economic activities literally came to a standstill in Kaduna on Monday 5 May when news broke that Hyacinth Haz Iwendi, the state Commissioner of Police, had passed on. Iwendi died at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika, Zaria after suffering from a massive stroke.

News of his death was received with shock and sadness at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, the seat of the state government. The following day, ministries, police stations, including the Headquarters, were deserted by workers who joined the Iwendi family in mourning a man described as active, hardworking, committed and refined. He resumed duty as Kaduna State Police Commissioner on 29 December 2007 and within a short time was credited with restoring sanity not only to the security system but also the battered image of the police in the state. Little wonder, therefore, that as early as 7am the day after Iwendi’s death, a throng of sympathisers gathered at his official residence to condole his family. Iwendi’s distraught widow, Oluwakemi received the visitors, many of who could not hold back their tears. The Deputy Governor of Kaduna State, Mr. Patrick Yakowa was among those who shed tears when they visited the family. “Why should this fine gentleman die now?” He asked. He recalled Iwendi’s collaboration with the state government in the past six months to rid Kaduna of criminals through the launch of Operation Yaki. Yakowa said Iwendi’s death is not just a huge loss to Kaduna State but to the entire people of Nigeria. The Inspector-General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro, was among the several prominent people that paid condolence to the family. He described Iwendi as a disciplined, unassuming, hardworking and noble officer. He prayed that God would grant the family the heart to bear the loss. But what killed Iwendi? This was one of the numerous questions on the lips of sympathisers who besieged his house to pay their condolences. His widow told TheNEWS that he complained of slight body pain in the early hours of Wednesday 30 April and demanded to see his personal doctor. He was checked by the doctor who gave him medication, but his condition worsened. Thereafter, he requested to be taken to the 44 Army Infantry Reference Hospital, Kaduna, where he was tested but nothing was discovered to be wrong with him. He was referred to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, ABUTH, Shika, Zaria and placed under observation. However, at about 4p.m. on 1 May, he was said to have lost consciousness and gone into a coma from which he never recovered until he died. Before he died, the Kaduna State government had arranged for a private plane to convey him to Germany for proper medical attention, but his condition was not stable enough for him to be disengaged from the artificial oxygen he was placed on. Born 27 February 1955 at Ibadan, Oyo State, the late Haz Iwendi hailed from Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State. He attended Saint John’s Primary School, Inalende, Ibadan from1961 to 1966. He also attended St. Anthony’s College, Ubulu-Uku, Delta State between 1968 and 1972 and later proceeded to Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan, where he completed his secondary education. In 1975, He gained admission to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka to study History, graduating in 1979. Iwendi joined the Police Force in 1980 as a cadet officer and completed his training in 1981. He attended several police-related courses both within and outside Nigeria. He enrolled at the University of Exeter, UK in 1993 and graduated in 1995 with a Masters in Police Studies. He was married to Oluwakemi and they had four children. May his soul rest in peace.