Kafayat, a Junior Secondary School 1 student with the Canal Secondary
School, Orile, Lagos, would have died from the wound she sustained after her
father flogged her with barb wire but for the intervention of vigilante members
who found her writhing in pain at the dead of the night at Oyingbo market at
Ebute- Metta.
Narrating how she incurred the wrath of her father, Kafayat said, “I live
with my parents at 4 Kuforiji Street, Orile. On July 7th, I ran away from home
after receiving severe beating from my father. My offence was that I tried to
stop him from beating my mother. My father accused my mother of using his hard
earned money to play lotto game and he descended on her with anything he could
lay his hands on. My father alleged that my mother loves patronizing lotto game
and he beat her up mercilessly and broke her knees. Despite my mother’s cry for
help, none of our neighbours came to her rescue because they are afraid of my
father.
“I could not bear the beating anymore and I begged my father to stop
beating my mother. He became furious and pounced on me.
“This is not the first time my father will beat my mother and I. I have
lost count of his endless beatings. On one occasion, I begged my mother to
relocate four of us her children to Ilorin so we can stay away from our father
due to his constant beating. I am the first child but my mother said my father
will change but he has gotten worse by the day. My mother is presently on
admission at the Charity Hospital at Orile following the beating my father gave
her.
“I could not stand his beating anymore and I ran away from home to meet
one of my mother’s friends at Oyingbo market but I did not meet her when I got
to the market. I was in great pains and I decided to sleep in the market
because I do not want to go back to my father’s house. It was while I was
sleeping at the market that some vigilante men came and rescued me. I told them
my plight and they took me to the hospital where I am presently receiving
treatment”
Agbodemu Musbau, the secretary of the Vigilante group of Nigeria at
Ebehinde Metta stated that the vigilante men on night patrol at Oyingbo market
found the girl writing in pains and rescued her.
“On July 9th about 4am, I received a report from our members patrolling
the Oyingbo market along the railway line that they found a girl laying in
pains in one of the stalls. I told them to bring her to our office and when I
saw her body, I asked her what happened and she told me that her father beat
her with barb wire. I quickly mobilized and took her to the Star Clinic at
Ebute- Metta where she is receiving treatment the wound on her body had become
sores and I wonder what type of a father will beat a child like that. I took
her to the Iponri police station to report the battering but the policemen
there turned me back that they do not handle such a case. I took her to the
Area C police Command at Surulere and the police there refused to attend to us.
They told me to take her to the office of the Public defender. I have been
running around with this girl since morning to get the necessary authority to
look into this matter and arrest the father but they have refused to take the
case,” the man said.
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