A man has been subjected to endure the horror of his life after meeting with a herbalist to receive some kind of treatment.
Oluwasegun Ayoola
Oluwasegun Ayoola, a 26-year-old man, has lost his two hands.
The man lost the use of his two hands after he was allegedly tortured by a herbalist in the Oke-Aro area of Lagos State.
According to Punch Metro, the unidentified herbalist, who is still
at large, tied the victim’s hands and feet and dumped him in a clay pot
for three days without food.
The victim was said to have been released after some family members
intervened. He was subsequently taken to a hospital for treatment.
It was gathered that Oluwasegun was cleaning up his apartment on
Idimu Road, Ejigbo, when he collapsed and was taken to the herbalist’s
shrine by a half-brother, Afolabi.
His mother, Mrs. Kudirat Ayoola, said she never knew they were being taken to a shrine on the day of the incident.
She said, “My son lives in his late father’s house in Ejigbo; I
don’t stay with him. On April 30, 2016, I was called that he had
collapsed in the house. My stepson, Afolabi, and a stepdaughter told me
to join them because they were taking him for treatment. I never knew it
was a herbalist’s house they were taking us to.
“When we got to Oke-Aro, they handed us over to a herbalist. I
protested, but they said it was for the improvement of his health. They
dropped us off and left.
“On the following day, the herbalist poured palm oil around my
son with candles and some fetish items. He asked my son to kneel down
while I should be praying. He brought out a knife and a divination
tablet. He said my son had become his meat.
“We were alarmed and my son started struggling with him. I
screamed for help. They started fighting and my son headbutt the man.
Some of the herbalist’s associates came and beat up my son. They tied
him up and dumped him in a clay pot. He was there for three days.”
She added that efforts to locate a police station in the
neighbourhood to report the incident proved abortive, adding that her
relatives later came to free the victim.
Oluwasegun said the incident had left him disable, saying he depended on his mother for almost everything.
He said, “When I left the herbalist’s place, I went to a police
station in Agege to report the incident, but the policeman I met at the
counter didn’t attend to me because my hands stank and flies were
buzzing over my injuries.
“I later saw a police patrol van, which called an ambulance. I
was given some treatment and taken back to the house. But my condition
has not improved. I depend on my mother to go to the toilet, wear my
clothes and even eat. I can’t do anything by myself.”
However, Afolabi, the victim’s half-brother, denied any complicity
in the matter, saying he only joined other family members to save
Oluwasegun.
He said, “I was not around when he collapsed. But we discovered
he had lost his mind when he came round. When the mental illness was
getting out of hand, we arranged and took him to the herbalist’s place
at Oke-Aro.
“I was not there when he was tied up, but I learnt that he
struggled with the man, scattered his house and injured him. We took
him to the herbalist’s house for care. We had spent a lot of money over
him, I don’t have any more money to spend.”
It was learnt that Oluwasegun’s late father married three wives and had property in different parts of Lagos State.
His mother was said to be the third wife of the deceased, while he was the woman’s only son.
Punch Metro reports that the case had been taken up by the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender.
The Public Affairs Officer of the OPD, Mr. Adeoba Adeniji-Adele,
who confirmed the incident, said the agency was still studying the case.
He said, “Spiritualists are not neurologist or certified physicians, so people have to be wary of them in medical matters.
“The first port of call in this case should have been a
hospital for proper diagnosis. Instead, he was taken to a place where
his treatment got out of hand. We are still studying the case and
appropriate action will be taken in due course.”
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