Abuja, Nigeria – For years, Mr. Ogbuke Nnaemeka, a visually impaired entrepreneur, has been a familiar face to residents and passersby at First Bank, Asokoro, near AYA, where he sold shoes to sustain his family. His resilience in the face of adversity has been nothing short of remarkable, but his survival is now under threat following what appears to be a systematic harassment campaign led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Asokoro Police Division.
Nnaemeka’s story is one of triumph, tragedy, and unyielding courage. Once a successful businessman dealing in patent medicine, his life took a painful turn when he lost his sight. His blindness came with devastating consequences—his first wife, from Imo State, abandoned him, and in desperation for a cure, he spent his entire savings to no avail. At the lowest point of his life, fortune smiled again when he found love with his current wife from Idoma, Benue State. Together, they started afresh, venturing into shoe sales as their only source of livelihood.
For years, the couple quietly earned a living in Asokoro without incident. But recently, their modest trade became a target. According to eyewitnesses and community members, the new DPO of Asokoro Division has shown deep hostility toward Nnaemeka and his wife. Reports suggest that the DPO has repeatedly ordered them to vacate their selling spot, leading to multiple arrests, threats of court action, and confiscation of their goods.
Just last Friday, the police released Nnaemeka’s seized goods. Yet, by Monday, the couple was arrested again on the orders of the DPO. “He told us plainly that he doesn’t want to see me around him, as if being blind is a crime,” Nnaemeka told The Qualitative Magazine. “This is the only way my family can feed. If I don’t sell, how do I survive?”
Shockingly, the DPO reportedly questioned whether Nnaemeka’s wife was truly his spouse, insinuating that a blind man could not possibly be married. Community members condemned this as a degrading and dehumanizing statement, describing it as not only discriminatory but also a violation of the dignity of persons with disabilities.
“I am not the only trader in that area,” Nnaemeka lamented. “Even in front of the police station, people are selling, but he singled me out. I believe it is tribalism, because I am the only non-Northerner there.”
The timing of this harassment has been especially cruel. Nnaemeka recently lost his mother and is struggling to gather resources for her burial. “Instead of empathy, I am being humiliated daily. I activated the spirit of ‘we die here’ because I have no other choice. This is my only means of livelihood,” he said.
Disability advocates argue that the Nigerian state has already failed persons with disabilities by providing little or no social support, forcing many like Nnaemeka into informal businesses. To then be harassed for trying to survive, they say, is a double tragedy.
Observers are now calling on the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD), the National Human Rights Commission, and human rights organizations to intervene urgently. “This is not just about one man—it is about the systemic neglect and discrimination faced by millions of Nigerians with disabilities,” said a disability rights advocate in Abuja.
They are also calling on the Inspector General of Police to intervene and call the DPO to order.
The question remains: when will the harassment of vulnerable citizens like Nnaemeka end? For now, the blind entrepreneur and his wife cling to hope, praying that justice and humanity will prevail over prejudice and abuse of power.
👉 It is time for civil society organizations, the media, disability rights advocates, and concerned Nigerians to rise in solidarity with Nnaemeka. His case is not just about one man—it is about the fight for dignity, equality, and justice for all persons with disabilities. Silence is complicity. The time to act is now.
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