Omonigho Abraham, the 4-year-old boy who was attacked by two dogs in the Igando area of Lagos State, has said the police and the government must ensure that the dogs that almost took his life are killed.
The little boy, who is in the Burns and Plastic Ward of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, told PUNCH Metro yesterday that he would not return home until the dogs were dead.
Narrating his ordeal, Omonigho, who still had a bandaged head, said he had tried to run from the dogs when they started to attack him but he was overwhelmed.
“I was playing with my brothers when the dogs entered our flat. I could not jump, so they bit my head. I pinched Gaddafi (one of the dogs), but he did not leave me. It was when I heard the voice of my mummy that I woke up. I want them to kill the dogs; I won’t return home.”
PUNCH reports that the young boy, whose face was still marred with signs of the attack, wore a sad countenance when he saw the gory pictures of his torn head on his father’s phone. He later started playing games on the smart phone.
A worker in the ward who said the boy’s health had improved compared to when he was admitted said:
“The day they brought him here remains unforgettable for me. I couldn’t eat throughout that day because he looked horrible.”
PUNCH Metro had first reported that Omonigho’s scalp was bitten off by two dogs in their neighbourhood, while he played with his brothers. Residents of the area and some policemen who besieged the scene of the incident had done nothing to rescue him until his mother, Mrs. Abraham arrived, fought off the dogs and snatched her son from their jaws.
Omonigho’s father, Mr. Odiah, who was angry that the police claimed to have saved the boy berated the police for failing to rescue his son. According to him, the police are attempting to muddle up the investigations. He told PUNCH Metro that he even got a call from the Divisional Crime Officer of the Igando Police Station asking him to come and “order the release of the dogs to their owner”.
He said:
“She asked me to come and agree to release the dogs to the owner or else, they would release the dogs to the owner themselves. She said in the alternative, I should take the dogs to my house.
It was also learnt that the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, paid a visit to the victim at LASUTH. Odiah said:
My wife even told him that at the gate when she was about rescuing the boy, she asked one of the seven policemen to follow her inside, but the police officer said, ‘am I the one that should follow you to go and die?’. My wife said that was what gave her the courage to go inside the rescue the boy,” he added.
Odiah says since PUNCH Metro reported the matter, he has been receiving support from Nigerians. Governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, sent his personal medical doctor, one Dr.Ufoma, who discussed the possibility of the victim being flown abroad for further treatment. The Lagos State Government, Ministry of Health, was also said to have refunded money spent on his treatment, and promised to pay all other expenses.
The police spokesperson, Nwosu, also confirmed his visit to the hospital and promised to investigate the allegation. He said:
“I was there on Friday as part of our efforts to show concern. I told the mother that in the midst of all this, what is more important is the life of the boy. If anybody has acted in an unprofessional way, we will investigate and take the appropriate action.”
He said the dogs were undergoing tests and the results would be made public.
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