How movies may’ve influenced stowaway’s behaviour

A SUSPECTED addiction to movies may have influenced the behaviour of 13-year-old Daniel (Ricky) Oikhena, who stowed away on an aircraft bound for Lagos.


His mother, Mrs. Evelyn Oikhena, hinted at this Monday when she said that her son was always watching movies.

In fact, he had watched movies almost throughout the night shortly before embarking on his adventure.

But the mother said she was shocked that her son could embark on such a life-threatening journey to where he had never been before.

She spoke with journalists at her residence at No 7, Ehiegba Street, off Goodwill, off Ekenwan Road shortly before she went to the airport where she was handed over to operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) for interrogation.

Mrs. Oikhena said her son was at home with his elder sister, Tonia, his two younger brothers and grandmother while she was away to visit her elder sister who had put to bed.

She said she was shocked when she came back on Saturday morning and was told that Ricky had not been seen and that on enquiry, his elder sister said they had an altercation when the boy was watching movies late into the night.

She said she had gone to report the incident at the Evbuotubu police station before she was called by her sister-in-law from Germany that the story of her stowaway son was on the Internet.

“I went to my elder sister’s place who put to bed and when I got home the next morning (Saturday), I couldn’t find him and my daughter told me that they quarrelled in the night because he woke up in the midnight to watch movies and she told him to go to bed and stop watching movies. She said he eventually slept in the parlour while she went back to sleep in the room.

“One of his younger brothers said he saw him remove all his school books from his bag. So, I asked my neighbours whether any of them saw him and they told me that around 5.00 a.m., they heard sounds indicating that somebody was opening the gate but never thought it was my son. He doesn’t go out. What I know is that he is always watching films in the house but he doesn’t have friends.

“I went to Oba Market police station. They referred me to Evbuotubu police station and when I got there, they said they would declare him missing after 24 hours and that I should come back the next day. I went to inform my pastor in the church and other members, my friends and other relations.”