My Encounter With Death — Felicia Fred

With almost 700 thousand followers on
Instagram, an endorsement under her
belt, and a couple of good films to show
for her years in Nollywood, stunning
actress and model, Felicia Fred is
definitely on her way to the top of the
ladder in the industry. As promising as
she is, the actress opened up to
Potpourri in a chat that she would have
died long ago if God had not saved her
from her assailants, during the Jos
religious crisis of 2001.
Felicia Fred
Recounting the tragedy, that saw her
best friend taking a bullet for her, the
Anambra State-born actress was filled
with anguish, with tears brimming her
eyes.
“On the 7th of September 2001, in Jos, I
woke up early in the morning from a
noise in the kitchen and saw my mum
baking cake; I was so happy because I
knew the cake was to celebrate my
birthday. I went to school and my
classmates poured water and sand on
me as a way of celebrating my birthday;
they gave me gifts and sang for me,” she
began her tale of sorrow and close
shave with death
“During break, I was with my best
friend, she asked me to see her off to
the rest room and then we heard
screams and gunshots. They shot at me
but she was the one that took the bullet
meant for me. I dragged her and
screamed but she said “Felicia…run”,
and she died.
“I was soaked in her blood but I ran
away and they chased me but I kept
running. All I could feel was anger and
confusion but I was determined not to
die. I saw a flowing river and I dived
into it; I stayed under the water for
about five minutes. When I heard no
sound again, I ran out and headed for
the hills.
“I knew that area very well and I kept
running till I got to a mountain where I
was sure I could hide from anyone. It
was a place where my friends and I
used to play during the weekends. I
pinched myself to see if it was all a
dream but it wasn’t.
When the place became dark I saw fire
and flames from distant areas,
immediately, I knew those monsters
had destroyed properties and killed
people. I thought of my family, I was
worried about them and how worried
they would be for me. Then I cried. I
remembered my best friend, I wished I
had given up my life for her, she must
have meant it when she once told me I
was her soul sister.
Then I looked up and asked God why
me, how could I survive this experience?
I felt strong all of a sudden and decided
I would live my life the way I want to. I
realized my purpose on earth and I
knew that as long as I’m at peace with
God, I can trust no one but me. I didn’t
know whether I would see my parents
or not but I knew I would never stop
believing in myself.