28th February, 2013
A bullet lodged for 44 years in the body of Israel Nwokoma, a security guard at a company in Ilupeju, Lagos state, southwest Nigeria, has fallen off his body.
Israel Nwokoma, 68, was shot in 1969 during the Nigerian civil war and the bullet lodged inside his body for 44 years.
Pa Nwokoma is from Isiala Ngwa in Abia state, married and has seven grown up children.
He lives at 4, Iyonda Folola street, Oke-Oba, Agege, Lagos.
He also expressed shock after the bullet lodged in his waist came out from his thigh after several years.
His co- worker, Christian Ikechukwu who witnessed it expressed shock.
Recalling what happened, Nwokoma told P.M.NEWS that he joined the defunct Biafran Army in 1968 as member of the boys company and was shot in his waist in Uzo- Item in Abia state in April, which was Easter Suday in 1969 during a fierce battle between the Biafran soldiers and the federal troops.
He said he was taken to a hospital, Mercy Hospital, Obowu in present Imo State where he was treated and discharged. Since then he felt no signs of movement of the bullet in his body.
He said that after the civil war, he came to Lagos in 1975 and settled down with his family.
He became a security guard and did not suspect that a bullet was still lodged in his body until when he pressed a boil in his thigh and it came out and fell on the floor in the presence of a young worker, Ikechukwu, who raised alarm that attracted other workers.
He said throughout the period the bullet was inside his body , he did not feel any pain or notice any movement.
Although he said he used to have pains and rashes in his waist where the bullet pierced into his body.
—Cyriacus Izukwe