Boy’s Fingers Chopped Off Over Books
The chopping off of the hand of a 9-year-old boy for alleged theft of exercise books is causing anxiety in a Benue community.
The last may not have been heard of the sympathic situation which befelled the family of Ona Peter Opila, an Igede-speaking native of Oju Local Government Area in Benue State after who they described as suspected “Badoo boys” chopped off the right hand of their nineyear-old son and also hurt one of his eyes.
The victim, Gabriel Opila, a Primary six pupil of Emmanuel International Academy in Oju was alleged to have been manhandled by an irate mob who chopped off all five fingers on his right hand for allegedly stealing notebooks from a shop at the Oju town main market. The incident happened over a week ago.
Gabriel at the time of this report has been referred to a tertiary health facility for surgery on his injured eye and hand even as his parents are worried about the financial implication.
But his family have denied the stealing allegation, contending that the boy was not found with any stolen item and considering the 7pm time which the incident took place at the close of market, it was practically unthinkable for such accusation to hold water.
Father of the victim, a butcher at the same market, Mr Peter Opila, told Daily Trust on Sunday who visited the Multi-Care Hospital in Makurdi where the boy was receiving treatment that his son’s case was an attempted murder by suspected rituatlists believed to belong to the dreaded “Badoo boys.”
“It all happened on Thursday, October 5 after I had closed from my normal business of the day
The incident triggered demonstration by the youths of Ibilla community where the victim hailed from as they demanded that the police and local government authority released the perpetrators which included one lander to them. But we were able to persuade them, calm has returned to the area
in another market and returned home 7pm. I was trying to have my rest when someone ran to the house to alert the family that my son who was coming back from the market was accosted by certain individuals.
“He [son] was caught up with around one Sunday Ona popularly called “Lander” compound, a man known to belong to the Badoo boys. They (Lander and others) held him down, cut off his right hand, machete other parts of his body and his head, almost plucking out his right eye before neighbour’s came to his rescue,” Opila narrated.
According to the father, his son clearly identified his assailants and even asked them, “what have I done to you people?” but they ignored him and went on to cause harm to his body until some people and later the police stepped in. They claimed that the boy stole some exercise books.
Opila added that the police didn’t find any exercise books on him as claimed and that on proper scrutiny, no shops were broken into at the market as he insisted that, “the motive was purely the handiwork of ritualists.”
More so, the father of the victim posited that there were on complaints that his child stole anything, stressing that the boy manufacture simple shoes which he sells to earn some money.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that by the next day, some people in the town protested over the illtreatment of the boy said to be the second child of six children in his family as angry youths demanded justice against the perpetrators.
One of those who protested, Engineer Ugbada Clement, said many people took to the streets peacefully to register their grievances over the matter and to ensure that justice takes its rightful course.
“We were angry and decided not to keep quiet. It was a peaceful protest intended to call government’s attention to the development. We want national and international human rights organisations to hear us on this matter. We don’t harbour criminals in our community,” Clement said.
He pointed out that the victim is known to be of good behaviour and had proper upbringing, urging good spirited individuals as well as government to help the boy whose future seemed to have been tampered with to become independent again by possible aiding him with an artificial hand.
Clement further pleaded with security agencies and government not to allow the matter be swept under the carpet.
On his part, the Chairman of Oju Local Government Area, Mr Austin Okwoche, said there were allegations that the boy stole exercise books but that if at all he did, it doesn’t warrant such punishment, noting however that the incident appeared to have been a premeditated plan to perhaps murder the child.
He added: “the incident triggered demonstration by the youths of Ibilla community where the victim hailed from as they demanded that the police and local government authority released the perpetrators which included one lander to them. But we were able to persuade them, calm has returned to the area.”
Meanwhile, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, ASP Moses Joel Yamu, who confirmed the development said seven suspects had been arrested and kept in the command’s custody for further investigation.
Yamu said, according to the report made available to the command, the boy was said to have been accused of theft but that he doesn’t know exactly what the child allegedly stole that the mob ganged up and cut off his hand.