Facing The Crocodile That ‘Ate My Wife’

_80755407_croc-group_80755407_croc-groupWho Says African Men Don’t Care?

African men are accused of all sorts of things now a days, leaving one wondering whether they are worth anything. Women’s rights groups who have got their beef with our men are doing their best to portray African men in the negative spotlight. It’s never fair to apportion a society’s problems on only one partner or sector. 

Despite levelling mountains of accusations against them, African men prove they are exceptional husbands and fathers whose care has no boundaries. The story below is a testament that an African man can go to any length to avenge the unlawful killing of his wife.  

A wicked crocodile killed the wife of an ordinary man, and what happens next reveals to the wide world a caring, loving and compassionate African man. This runs contrary to the dictates of the money-fuelled women’s rights group campaigning to destroy the very social fabric of our society. They draw sword at African man accusing and labelling him as “a wife batterer, wife rapist or wife abuser.”

Clouded with love, care and compassion, the Ugandan man went after the crocodile that ate his wife. Such a bravery is legendary, to call spade a spade.

crocThe food for thought here is for us to solemnly advise our African women to avoid anything that kills the love they have for their husbands in the West. Stay away from those Nollywood and Hollywood movies that teach nothing but infidelity, social vices or bad influences.

The moving and touching African story proves that an African man can attack a mighty crocodile to avenge the death of his lover.  Love is a two-way street. Let’s build our marriage institutions on love, care and understanding instead of shattering them. If our marriages fail we will live in pieces rather than in peace. 

Read the must-read amazing story below by BBC Magazine:

By Jason Caffrey BBC World Service

Four months ago, Demeteriya Nabire was killed by a crocodile when she went to the lake near her home to fetch water. The animal later came back to the area but found Nabire’s husband waiting, ready to take revenge.

Demeteriya Nabire was at the water’s edge with a group of women from her village – they were gathering water from Uganda’s Lake Kyoga when the crocodile grabbed her. It dragged her away and she was never seen again.

Her husband, Mubarak Batambuze, was devastated – Nabire was pregnant when she died, and he had lost not only his wife but an unborn child as well. He felt powerless. But then last month he heard the crocodile had returned.

“Somebody called me and said, ‘Mubarak, I have news for you – the crocodile that took your wife is here – we are looking at it now.'”

The 50-year-old fisherman made his way to the lake with some friends. “He was a very big monster, and we tried fighting him with stones and sticks. But there was nothing we could do,” he says.

So Batambuze went to visit the local blacksmith.

“I explained to him that I was fighting a beast that had snatched and killed my wife and unborn baby. I really wanted my revenge, and asked the blacksmith to make me a spear that could kill the crocodile dead.

“The Blacksmith asked me for £3.20 ($5) and made the spear for me,” he says. It was a significant amount of money for Batambuze, but he was determined to kill the animal that had snatched his future.

“The crocodile ate my wife entirely. Nothing was ever seen of her again – no clothes, no part of her body that I could identify. I just didn’t know what to do – a mother and her unborn child. It was the end of my world. I was completely lost.”

Armed with his new spear – specially designed with a barb on one side – the widower went on the attack.

When he got to the water the crocodile was still there, but Batambuze’s friends took fright.

“Please don’t attack this beast,” they pleaded, “it’s so huge it may eat you. The spear is not enough – it won’t finish the job.”

But Batambuze insisted they stay. “I failed killing it the first time around,” he told them, “I’m not bothered if I die killing this beast. I’m going to take it on with this spear, and I will make sure that it dies.”

A Ugandan Wildlife Authority ranger, Oswald Tumanya, says the crocodile was more than four metres long and weighed about 600kg.

“I had so much fear in me but what helped me to succeed was the spear,” says Batambuze.

He tied a rope to the end of the weapon so that once the tip was embedded in the crocodile, he could pull it out at an angle and the barb would cut into more of the animal’s flesh.

“I put the spear into the crocodile’s side, and while my friends were helping to throw stones at the beast’s back, it tried getting its mouth up to attack me again.

“It turned violent, and then there was so much fear in the place. But I was so determined, and I wasn’t afraid of dying. I just wanted it dead, so I put the spear in its side and I pulled the rope. That got the crocodile into trouble.”

It took an hour and a half for Batambuze and his friends, fighting and retreating, exchanging attacks with the enraged animal, before the crocodile was finally dead.

Exhausted, they made their way back to their village. “There was so much shock. What really surprised everybody was how big the beast was. It wasn’t an ordinary crocodile. It was so big. And people called me and my friends heroes,” he says.

The dead animal was taken to Makarere University in Kampala, where it was examined by a vet, Wilfred Emneku.

He says a tibia bone was found inside the crocodile’s stomach, but while he believes it’s human he can’t be sure.

A crocodile expert at Charles Darwin University in Australia, Adam Britton, says he would be very surprised if any remains inside the animal’s stomach were those of Demeteriya Nabire.

“After 12 weeks… under normal conditions, it would be highly improbable for bones from the same meal to remain in the stomach,” he says.

So while Batambuze’s celebrity status endures in his village, it is unlikely that he will ever have a grave to mourn at.

“Within myself I’m a very depressed man because I lost a wife and an unborn child,” he explains.

“But the locals keep on saying, ‘Thank you for killing the beast, that’s where we fetch water and we’re sure it would have taken somebody else. Thank you so much, you did a great job.'”

“So I’m a local hero – people keep on thanking me.”

Ends

20 Comments

  1. Ramou Jammeh

    A brave Jaranka man. Kairo thanks for the touching story. Sad and inspiring!

  2. Luntango Suun Gann Gi

    Lovely story Musa. Don’t mess with us East Africans!!! Once in Kanilai Jammeh was pulling the crocodile out of the pond by himself in front of President Koroma. No one would help Jammeh pull the crocodile so he called “Mr. Observer” and I helped him!!! On a serious note, African men, yes especially in West Africa are very fond of their wives – until they marry a second, third and fourth one LOL!

  3. I can understand the loss of Mr Batambuze,his feeling of helplessness and the unimaginable sadness he must have felt as a result of this terrible tragedy,but I do not think he is a hero,nor do I agree with the writer’s description of the crocodile as a “wicked crocodile”…Crocodiles,like most predators,are opportunistic animals and will seize every opportunity to grab a meal,whether the prey is human,gazelle,gnu or whatever…That is what they have done for centuries to out live the dinosaurs…They need to be protected and NOT destroyed…

    Governments of countries that are blessed with such beautiful creatures of nature must not spare any efforts to educate their citizens about the habits of these creatures,the dangers they pose to humans and how to minimise freak accidents like the one that Mr Batambuze’s wife suffered…Australia has similar problems but they minimised human-croc conflict by capturing,tagging and monitoring “problem crocs” that frequent human populated areas to avoid freak accidents..

    Unfortunately,such callous killing of wild animals (for one reason or the other) is common in Africa because we have continued to fail ourselves in whatever endeavor we undertake: even the protection of our precious wildlife,like Lions and Elephants,which are threatened by extinction for good…It may sound heartless to say this,but in most civilised societies,Mr Batambuze would have been prosecuted and rightly so…He is neither a HERO, nor is his action indicative of the “loving” or “caring” attributes of African men/husbands…I cannot see the connection at all…

  4. Luntango Suun Gann Gi

    OMG, my in-law, for once I think you are in Cloud-Cuckoo Land (PDOIS un-reality zone LoL).

    I have no time for all these “Glorious Nature” Western Colonial Nonsense. People come first Bro!!! Let them Wazungus go for their Safaris to Mars or Pluto! In The Gambia I would WIPE OUT the Hippos so that the farmers and their families can grow their food. Yer, yer – and them Cobras that kill so many villagers too.
    CAN YOU BELIEVE IT – the law in The Gambia would ARREST a farmer who killed a Cobra on his land!!! PDOIS intellectuals living in Fajara must have inserted that into the Constitution – “Animal Farm” Constitution LoL!
    Bax would probably live in Fajara like Halifa, drive with his 4×4 to the village to admire the Cobra and the Hippos and tell the villagers how important our “beautiful wildlife are”! Boy Bax, if my wife or child had recently being killed and you said that in my presence I would grab my machete, drag you out of you World Wild-Life Fund 4×4 and feed you to the beautiful animals!!
    I am for once dead serious Bro. No time for all these save the animals BS when the same people are happy to see people and their children starve and do nothing.
    Where are their own animals anyway, the hypocrites. And was it not the likes of Roosevelt who went to Kenya to shoot them lions and elephants for sport?
    Don’t misunderstand me Bro. As a school child I went to Nairobi National Park and Masai Mara to see the majestic animals. But I would rather save my fellow human-beings first… And that is what the Hero of this story did: He made sure that the BEAST would NEVER kill anyone else.
    In The Gambia we let packs of rabid wild-dogs colonise Jeshwang Swamps and attack people. I would send a Platoon there with machine-guns to kill ALL the stray-dogs, including those on the beach, in Manjai and around the estates if un-cared for. If do-gooder toubabs and 4×4 WWF Gambians like Bax get in the way I will order the soldiers to get on with their work.
    Then I will order the soldiers to the Central River Division and ask them to make sure that not a single Hippo and Croc that threatens Human-Life is left.

    That is my MANIFESTO my in-law. Will you vote for me? PS: I would let the Gays be – they are harmless!

    • Thanks very much Bax for your analysis on the parasitic mode of the opportunistic-crocodile… However there are lots of fluky predatory opportunistic crocodiles on two legs, crossing borders preying on fellow humans flesh & blood whenever & wherever they can make meals of them… God bless Gambia from local & foreign collaborative satanic predators… Ameen.

    • Dabo Jula

      You got my vote, my wife and kids. lol.

  5. Alimatou Sarr

    This is the usual Bax, the man capable of making less complex issues complicated. I can’t compare anything to human life. The man is a hero. I agree with the Kairo intro that he cares.

  6. Here here Dida. Bax is not real.

  7. My in law….You will surely loose your deposit with a manifesto like this, if I was the only voter…No “maslahaa”…But let’s get some things straight…With due respect, I think you are mixing things here…The issue of domesticated animals should not be mixed with the wild animals…Domesticated animals are our responsibilities and we must have strict laws to govern our relationship with them and those who fail to adhere by the laws should be fully held accountable…The issue of stray/rabid dogs will not even arise if society honours its responsibility towards domesticated animals…But were we have this problem,as you have mentioned, humane action must be taken to protect society..

    Wild animals, on the other hand, are not our responsibility but we are bound by faith/nature (whichever you believe) to live “side by side”…The problem I see in your approach is the erroneous belief that planet earth “belongs” to humans only and that, in my view, is where you base your view that “Humans come first”… I would agree with you that in areas where humans have settled, they come first but in the forests,jungles and seas/oceans, the wild animals must come first…Humans must learn to avoid conflict with our wild neighbours by respecting their RIGHTS to live their lives,as best as they can…Humans have got the knowledge and know how to help our wild neighbours live a “good life” and maintain an ecological balance to ensure sustainable co-existence…

    It is in the nature of meat eating (carnivorous) animals to kill and feed and we must be aware of this because most are extremely powerful, and even with our weapons, they still have an edge over us when we invade their space…But just because they destroy us to survive does not give us the right to invade their space and destroy them…Any human death from wild animals should be seen as tragic but never incur retribution as we see in Mr Batambuze’s case…Protecting our wild life is not about satisfying the tourist but respecting their rights to existence too..

    There are many other natural phenomena that destroy humans during the course of their lifespan…If you think you should destroy wild animals that accidentally kill humans to survive, what are you going to do about such natural phenomenon as landslides,earthquakes,hurricanes,lightening,etc,all of which have the potential to destroy entire communities…? Isn’t it hypocritical to kill a crocodile because it killed one human being whilst not doing anything about a tsunami that destroyed hundreds of thousands of humans…? Would you drain the oceans and destroy the mountains…? How about the food that you choke on and die ? Do you destroy all the foods of the same kind because one human has died from eating it..? What about the saliva that you choke on in your sleep and die…? Do you drain all saliva from our bodies because it can kill…? Of course not…We accept that these are tragic deaths from natural phenomena and so too must we accept death from wild animals..

    We humans should be humble and accept that the earth does not belong to us, but rather, we belong to it as much as the other creatures too, and that they have every right to live their lives to the best of their advantages..If we do, then we will avoid invading their space but if our needs force us to venture into their spaces, we will do so with utter respect for their power and rights…

    • Bax, I think because of human life being sacrosanct as the highest of the creatures dwelling the earth, any lesser animal which has taken human life like in the article above are put down in respect to human life which I see as perfectly fine if we go by putting ourselves in the shoes of the bereaved Ugandan husband & family… However I also buy into your argument that wild animals needs protection to avoid extinction as to maintaining the eco-balance system…. There are many wildlife creatures I remembered enjoying hunting for games during weekend in my childhood which I would’ve rather campaign to conserve could I have turned the arm of the clock back… Now I feel bit guilty as partly responsible for their extinction in Gambia, that my children can only know about & get to see them in pictures, in films or on exhibits in captivation in zoos… However I believe everything else on earth is here for the benefit of human life & survival as the highest of the animal family on top of the food chain…. I totally am on the side of human lives preservation whenever & whenever I find myself in debate; including crocodiles roaming the borders on two legs… Thanks.

  8. Luntango Suun Gann Gi

    PPS: Have I just invented a new phrase on KairoNews for revolutionary purposes – “4×4 NGO AFRICANS”??? This is the Neo-Colonial Petty-Bourgeois class that maintains the exploitation and subjugation of Africa by the IMF/WORLD BANK today. Funded through UN, EU, directly by Western Govts, CIA, etc, these 4×4 NGO AFRICANS are powerful enough to control the policies of ALL African Govts – and if necessary overthrow disobedient African Governments with the help of the West so that:-
    1. The West can maintain IMF/World Bank DEBT Repayments FOREVER;
    2. The 4×4 Africans can maintain their life-styles in poverty-stricken INDEPTHED Africa – and head off to Washington, London and Paris for shopping.
    Two things: the IMF/World Bank DEBT is designed to be FOREVER – just as my personal bank would want me to have a forever loan. Secondly, dictators in Africa are NEEDED to ENFORCE the Debt Collection – otherwise the ordinary Africans will elect DEMOCRATIC governments that would refuse to pay the debt! Look at Greece and Spain – that is why DEMOCRACY is bad for the Debt Oppressed.

    Gotta stop here now – otherwise my PDOIS in-law will respond with a million word essay – lol!

  9. Luntango Suun Gann Gi

    @Bax: “My in-law you will loose your deposit ..”

    Bax, I bet you your “Democracy for Human-eating Animals” Manifesto will only get 2 per cent of the votes LoL!

    As for your idea that I should “hand-cuff lightening and put thunder in jail” I leave you to enjoy the beautiful poetry of beautiful Muhammad Ali.

  10. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Colonialism ended in Gambia 50yrs ago and yet Bax wants us to blame Britain for our economic woes of today. This is nonsense upon slit. We are where we are today in economic terms because we have been irresponsible in managing our our economy and choosing a bad political leadership.

    Did bax even know that at some point after the 2001 elections and until 2010/11, Britian was giving 100 million Dalasis every year in direct aid to The Gambia. Where did it all go? Britain had to stop giving this money directly because they weren’t happy the way it’s been spent. They are now doing it through the EU in line with the Cotonou Protocol but even that has proven to be a problem because of human rights concern. Already 86million Euros eye marked for Gambia (free money) is being frozen amidst concern over the country’s poor human rights records.

    Blame your leaders, not Britain or the West. We need to learn to be responsible.

    Thanks

  11. Luntango Suun Gann Gi

    Do you like the Croc story Manju Panju? And it is “nonsense on stilts” not slits – you caught Nderryia too (LoL my in-law)

  12. Lafia…My response to you is already in the right forum…

  13. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Blame my smartphone Dida. In one of my postings, it turned Lafia into Lagos and another time Lafita. Anyway, thanks for straightened that up for the readership.

    On the cocrodile story it is a sad one.

    Thanks

  14. Lafia Touray la Manju

    Bamba, you throwing stuff at me means I am doing good. The Mrs said I should ignore you.

    Thanks

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