IFEATU (not real name), 16, and in senior secondary school 2, suddenly discovered that she was pregnant for her trader boyfriend, Obinna. When she informed Obinna of the development, he warned her not to associate him with such a thing because he had just been released by his master after six of years apprenticeship and was just settling down to nurture his own business and therefore did not want any distraction. Afraid of telling her parents of her predicament, Ifeatu confided in her school mate who agreed to take her somewhere her problem could be solved.

When 25-year-old Emmanuel Victor, an indigene of Opubo Nkoro in Rivers State, left home for church in the morning of October 16, 2011 with his mother and siblings, there was no inkling he would not return home.

“I was rushed to the Mother and Child Hospital in a critical condition after prolonged obstructed labour. My family had spent all resources to save my life. I was abandoned by my husband in the midst of the challenge.”

Respect is when you regard someone as important and you are careful not to harm or treat him rudely. Children are born with senses and abilities albeit directionless. No one teaches a baby her behavioral patterns or helps a child attain the various milestones of development. Toddlers do not watch wrestling to acquire innate abilities to challenge their siblings to routine contests and fights where punches, bites and kicks come in handy as inherent defense mechanisms. “A 3-year-old toddler’s brain is twice as active as an adult’s brain”, says family science specialist Sean Brotherson.

The Bayelsa State special security outfit, Operation Famou Tangbe (OFT), may have been proscribed by the police but this well-kitted and highly motivated outfit will remain evergreen in the minds of the people.