The trauma from the violent attack by suspected Badoo cult boys in Ibeshe, Ikorodu area of Lagos on seven-year-old Marvelous Uba and her mother, Joy Rainotu, several months ago, has continued to define the lives of both mother and child.
Since the two of them got out of the hospital, life has not been the same again. Marvelous and her mother now live like destitute, moving from one location to the other and passing the night wherever they are, when dusk sets in and it gets dark.
During the cultists’ nocturnal attack on Marvelous, her mother and grandmother, the Badoo boys almost hacked them to death, inflicting life-threatening injuries on them. The suspected cultists also raped their aged grandmother before escaping from the crime scene.
While the cultists raped her grandmother, frantic attempts by Marvelous to raise the alarm incurred the wrath of the Badoo boys, who dealt her some blows on the head and mouth with an axe.
Although the Lagos State Government and security operatives have made efforts to return peace to the Ikorodu area, especially the Ibeshe community, many victims of the Frankenstein monster called Badoo Boys, like Marvelous and her mother, have yet to recover from the physical, psychological and emotional trauma they have suffered due to the attacks on them.
For them, they are yet to wake up from the nightmare the Badoo boys have thrown them into since the incident occurred several months ago.
Inspite of the initial promises by government and other state agencies to assist and rehabilitate the victims of the Badoo Boys’ attacks, Marvelous and her mother, seem to have been abandoned to their fate.
Our correspondent gathered that the 7-year-old girl, who could not continue her education, due to the incident, and her mother, are now mentally unstable. The mother and child are said to always wander about the streets of Ikorodu in search of nothing in particular.
It was also learnt that Marvelous and her mother have now have taken to begging to enable them to make ends meet.
According to information gathered from sources in Ikorodu, little Marvelous has undergone two consecutive surgeries carried out to repair the damage done to her head and mouth during the violent attack by the Badoo cultists.
Marvelous, it was further learnt, was supposed to have gone for another phase of the surgery to perfect her condition, but due to lack of funds, and alleged negligence by the state government and other agencies, she has had to live with the current situation of things.
Mummy Marvelous is now something else within our community. Unlike before, she now wanders around the Ikorodu communities with her daughter. On several occasions, I have seen her with her daughter trekking a very long distance, while talking to themselves. I also learnt that they now sleep around in different places since the incident occurred
The little girl now experiences a swollen head every month, a situation believed to have resulted in her current state of mental and psychological trauma.
To compound their problem, Marvelous and her mother, it was also learnt, had to abandon their home shortly after the attack on them by the Badoo Boys, because of fears that the dreaded cultists might strike again. The building owned by Marvelous’ ailing grandmother, is now said to have become dilapidated.
Rendered homeless, both mother and child now sleep around in different places such as churches, filing stations, uncompleted buildings and others, like refugees.
A resident of Ibeshe community, who spoke with our correspondent concerning the family, Oladipupo Sewa, explained that Marvelous’ mother, who used to be of sound mind before the Badoo Boys’ attack on her family, is now a shadow of her former self, given her current state of mental imbalance.
“Mummy Marvelous is now something else within our community. Unlike before, she now wanders around the Ikorodu communities with her daughter. On several occasions, I have seen her with her daughter trekking a very long distance, while talking to themselves. I also learnt that they now sleep around in different places since the incident occurred,” she said.
Our correspondent, who visited the family’s abandoned residence in Ibeshe, observed that the deserted house has been under lock and key for a long time. A part of the building’s wall showed gapping crack, signaling an imminent collapse of the house.
A neighbour to the family, who simply identified himself as Akinola, told our correspondent that Marvelous’ grandmother, who owns the building, was struck by a strange ailment after she was raped by the Badoo cultists during the attack on her and her household.
He disclosed that the aged grandmother had since been taken back to her village, where she’s receiving some traditional treatment for the strange ailment, which had allegedly defied orthodox medical treatment.
Akinola said, “As you can see, the incident almost ruined the family. Look at what the lady and her daughter have been turned into. Both of them are now mentally deranged. Sometimes you will see them in a place where a normal person should not be found, sleeping. On several occasions, I have seen Marvelous’ mother standing alone and talking as if she’s talking to someone.
“Later, we discovered that the situation was seriously turning her into something else. Their grandmother that was also raped then, is now in their village for treatment. People discovered that she started losing weight after the incident and she was never alright. After several attempts here, both medical and traditional, some of her children decided to take her to her village for proper care.”
Our correspondent also gathered that both mother and daughter were recently referred to the Yaba Psychiatric Hospital for a
check-up.
“They were both taken to the psychiatric hospital in Yaba for check-up and both were discovered to have psychological imbalance due to the situation. The doctors said they will best be attended to under a home atmosphere, especially the young girl. If she is given the injection, it will make her dull for some time before she’ll regain mental balance. But the major problem is where they will stay. As I speak with you, they have no roof over their heads. When I engaged them, I realised they had slept in not less than 40 places. Sometimes they sleep in churches or filling stations. Their condition currently is so pathetic,” a social worker, Mrs. Fayomi Obajobi, said.
Obajobi, however, called on government and other agencies in the state to come to the aid of the family, especially the little girl, in order to save her future.
“Marvelous will need a lot of medical attention to become normal again. She will need psychological attention to help bring her back as a normal child in the society. We will appreciate it if the Lagos State Government can help us care for the little girl that is now suffering due to the attack on her and her mother by Badoo cultists,” she said.
Meanwhile, all efforts to speak with Marvelous’ mother, Joy, was not successful as her counsellor said she needed to take a break from engaging in conversation with anyone.
