“MD, get up,” cried Olusola Ayanwole – the widow of taxi driver Moses Ayanwole, who was fatally attacked on the streets of Dublin in November – as she rubbed her husband’s coffin at his funeral in Mulhuddart cemetary recently.
The attack on Ayanwole has opened up an avalanche of discussion within Ireland’s ethnic communities. Several associations within the Nigerian community have expressed their concern that the attack was racially motivated. Others say they hope such incidents won’t get to the stage where the black community will start to demand “an eye for an eye”.
But with all soberness, his widow Olusola says Ireland’s immigrant community should take things calmly and “leave God to judge”.
The day her husband was attacked, Olusola recalls that they attended church together, and sang with the choir. She was in bed hours later, after he had gone to work, when gardaí called to their home to break news of the attack.
“It was shocking and unbelievable when the police said my husband was in the intensive care unit,” she told Metro Éireann. “Moses has never been in the hospital, he doesn’t fall ill and he has been in this taxi job for nine years.
“I spent three days at my husband’s bedside praying for his life. I held his hand saying ‘Moses, open your eyes, talk to me, your son Joshua is here, he wants to talk to you.’”
Olusola could only watch as the life slipped away from her husband and companion.
“The police told me the young man who did it was drunk… Someone told me he comes from a good family, that his mother was crying when speaking with [radio station] FM104”.
A concerned citizen at the funeral asked: “Do we call such an attack racially motivated?” Another said: "I'm not surprised because so many taxi drivers have been attacked, it is still happening and will keep happening if nothing is done.”
Olusola said she cannot say whether the attack was racially driven. “I don’t want anyone holding on to my words. It would have been different if my husband had opened his eyes and told me what happened.”
As the remains of her late husband were lowered into the ground, Olusola’s grieving voice cried: “I will always love you. You will remain in my heart forever”.
A major Garda investigation is progressing into the attack on Moses Ayanwole. Anyone with information regarding the incident is urged to contact their local Garda station or the Garda confidential line at 1800 666 111.
