By Matthew Dike
A raga crooner, Kennedy Uti a.k.a Yellow Banton can best be described as a cat with nine lives having passed through the biblical ‘valley and shadow death’ and still alive to tell the story.. Yellow Banton, an albino said he had survived major cancer operations, escaped thrice from the hands of suspected ritualists. He also escaped death by the whiskers after armed robbers shot him and 12 pellets were extracted from his body.
Banton, who hails from Ndokwa West Local Government of Delta State has narrated the pathetic story of his life. Hear him;
“I have survived many tragic incidents. Cancer, armed robbers and ritualists almost killed me… I suffered from cancer for 15 -years before I was operated upon and cured. The cancer made my life miserable and I could not perform on stage for good eight months because of the ailment. I went through major cancer operations. The operation was done at Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos. For over one year I was going to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. I was also looking for financial support. I had to use the social media to seek for financial support. Help came my way when Lady Mabel Oboh and the Chairman of Ajeromi Local Government, HON. Fatai Ayoola saw my condition and shouldered all the financial responsibility. Mabel paid most of the bills, including my feeding. She spent huge amount of money to keep me alive. The operation was done on May 4, 2018 at Gbadada General Hospital. I spent eight days at that hospital before I was discharged. Under my left eye and the left side of my neck were operated upon.Many people were afraid when they heard that I would be operated upon but I had the belief that I would survive it and by the grace of God I did. I followed all the directives the doctors gave me.
I have four children. My first son , Carl was with me at the hospital. He was sixteen years old then. He was the person running errands for me. One of the doctors had earlier warned me that if I failed to undergo such major operation that I would die. I don’t want to die so today I have to continue to thank God and also thank Lady Mabel Oboh for her kindness, generosity and towards me.”
Continuing, the musician recalled how his elder brother died of cancer and why he named his last album on vinyl ‘Survival’ and also did a track entitled ‘Angel/Mabel Oboh’ as a mark of appreciation for what the Edo State Governorship aspirant, Mabel Oboh did for him: “A lot of people had died of this ailment called cancer. My elder brother died of cancer so I did not want to die of it. The album includes tracks like, ‘Eleta’, ‘That’s good,’ Chikito,’ ‘Ukwuani,’ ‘Teniegwu’ ‘Angel /Mabel Oboh’ ‘Banti Banti’ and ‘Maria,’ will be released in two months time into the market but I have done the launching since December 12, 2020, in Ajegunle, Lagos.”
“‘Survival’ is my true life experience.- a pathetic one at that. Cancer has killed many people , especially those who has no helper and cannot pay the hospital bills, especially drugs.”
The Ajegunle-based musician said though he needs money he cannot go to Maidugiri to perform even if the money is over N500,000.00.
His words: “I cannot even go to Ogun State to perform, now come to talk of somewhere close to Sambisa forest, Maidugiri, to perform. That will amount to suicide. As I’m talking to you now, I cannot go to Ogun State to perform and you are talking of Maidugiri. Many people went to Sambisa or Maidugiri and never returned. They killed them there. I don’t want to die! It’s not my wish to go there unless they kidnap me to Maidugiri. I cannot on my own volition go to that place.”
The albino also bared his mind on how ritualists attempted to kidnap him on three different occasions.
His words: “On three occasions ritualists had attempted to kidnap me but to no avail. God loves me so much and has been protecting me against such evil people. They wanted to lure me and use me for money making rituals but God put them to shame. The first was in 1989. It was an Eyo Festival Day and I went to Idumota. I was walking through Isale Eko area when I came across a girl picking hair for her father. The man and her daughter approached me , asking me to sell some of my hair to them. They said they wanted to use the hair to cure sickness. I don’t understand why they should use my hair- an albino’s hair to cure sickness. I refused but they were still pleading, promising to pay N30 per string of hair. Lucky enough one of the ‘Eyo’ masquerades was coming our way and people were running helter- skelter and that was how I escaped from the scene.”
He said, “In 1990, a man came to me in Ajegunle, and appealed to me to assist to collect key to a shop situated at Alaba International Market, Lagos, from a landlord because he had driven his sales boy whom he accused of stealing. He said his landlord had refused to hand over the key to him unless the sales boy came to collect it himself. He said I and the said sales boy have striking resemblance. But I don’t even know the man before. He was persuading me to accompany him to Ogun State so as to collect the shop key from the landlord. He promised to pay me substantial amount of money. I had to tell my mother about it. And when my mother confronted him, the man denied having any of discussion with me. That was how we knew that he wanted to use me for money ritual.”
As if his experiences with suspected ritualists were not enough, the victim said, “In 2013, four men came to me and were negotiating on how I would travel to Enugu from Lagos to perform in a show. We had agreed on N250,000. But when I told them that I would be traveling alongside my manager and dancers, their countenance changed. They insisted I must travel alone with them. Their excuse was that the car would not contain all of us if I had to travel with my manager and dancers. I told them that I would not travel without my dancers and manager. At the end of the day, I told them that I was not interested in that show.”
The musician also recalled how he escaped death by a hair’s breath when armed robbers shot him at Agungun Street, Ajegunle, at about 1 am.
“We were sleeping inside our apartment while some co-tenants were sleeping outside to receive fresh air because there was no power supply on that fateful day in 1997. The robbers came and woke those sleeping outside. I was in our apartment when I heard a noise. I saw people through the window walking. I saw armed robbers beating a co-tenant. They were asking him: ‘Where’s the money?’ That was when I know that armed robbers were in our residence.
“The robbers began to move from room to room. I wanted to jump through the window but my elder brother, Ifeanyi, held me back. The window had no burglary..But as they started hitting our door, trying to force it open, we tried to support the door with our body and table. But when they shot into the air, I was scared. I had to attempt to escape through the window. But unknown to me, one of the armed robbers was hiding beside the boys quarter.
“As I was running, I heard a sound and immediately I felt pains at my back. I staggered and continued the race. I ran across four streets before I became very weak. Blood was gushing out of my body. That was when I even summoned the courage to scream: ‘Thief! Thief!!’. I managed to walk to Ajeromi Police Station. They gave me written note to the General Hospital. The police also warned me not to drink water and I was so tasty but I avoided water. Doctors removed 12 pellets from my body. The doctors also gave me drugs and injection. The wound later healed. I want to thank God for being merciful to me by giving me the gift of life,” he noted.