Boy, 12, escapes ritual killing, hit by strange illness

Following the trauma suffered due to an alleged ritualists’ attack on him in the Bayeku area of Ikorodu, Lagos, 12-year-old Samuel has been behaving strangely, giving room to insinuations that he has become mentally unbalanced as a result of the
incident.
The young boy was found roaming the streets of Offin Ile, Igbogbo Bayeku area of Ikorodu, and picked up by a resident, one Mrs. Kolawole, who then took him to the Igbogbo Police
Division.
It was gathered that the “harrowing experience,” which the boy had in the hands of the unidentified suspected ritualists left him in a critical mental state, as his reasoning and responses to things became far from
normal.
Our correspondent learnt that Samuel, whose real identity had yet to be known and his residence ascertained, following his loss of memory, must have been subjected to some trauma, which informed his “abnormal” state
of mind.
A resident, who simply identified himself as Kazeem, said, “The boy has been suffering from loss of memory.
He cannot remember vividly what happened to him.
He later managed to recollect his name and age and what happened to him, saying that he found himself in one building
surrounded by some people, before he suddenly
went blank.
“When we tried to ask more questions about his parents, where he lives and if he goes to school, he kept silent and was just staring at us.
“We saw him in our street in the morning and later in the evening, before we picked him up and took him to the police station. But the police said we should take the boy to the hospital for treatment.
But unable to foot his hospital bill, we decided to take him to the Baale of Offin.”
Another resident, Tola Oyeyemi, said, “The boy is having issues with his memory.
From what we heard, since he managed to escape from the suspected ritualists, he has not regained his senses. The good Samaritan that found him has done her
best.
“I think the government needs to take responsibility for the safety of the poor
boy.”
It was gathered that Samuel’s mental condition has still not improved, and he had not been taken to any hospital for treatment. The appropriate authorities have also not been contacted for necessary measures to be taken to address his ill
health.
As at the time of filing this report, the young victim was said to have been referred to JWC at Alakara, Mushin Police Division, for adequate attention.