Woman seeks justice for son blinded by cultists

Mrs Fausat Ayeni-Ibidokun, a former resident of No. 4 Odutan Street, Ketu, yesterday appealed to the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Hakeem Odumosu, and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammed Adamu, to intervene and bring the persons that caused her son’s blindness to book.

She told newsmen in Lagos that her son, Sunday, was stabbed in both eyes and blinded by members of a notorious cult group because he allegedly refused to join them. The hurting mother, who currently lives in another area of the state, said the unfortunate incident happened in December 2016 during a street carnival that was held in Ketu.

“My son went for the carnival in celebration of the Yuletide, but he was attacked by members of the dreadful cult sect and blinded,” she said.

Ayeni-Ibidokun said she reported the matter to Ketu Police Station, but nothing has been done.

“I kept on visiting the station to seek justice, but at a point, the IPO frustrated my efforts because he was constantly demanding money and I didn’t know what to do. Anytime I went to the station, I was told the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) was not on seat. That was how I left the matter to God,” she said.

However, she said that she was at the Ketu market last Thursday to buy some groceries and was told by a reliable source that the head of the cult group was admitted and receiving treatment at General Hospital, Gbagada.

“On hearing this information, I rushed to the media to tell my story again and hopefully reopen the case for my son to get justice against the criminals who blinded him,” she said.

She said that one Azeez was the leader of the cult group in Ketu while other members of the sect, popularly known by their nicknames include: ‘Gbeke’, ‘Paulo’, ‘Ijaiya’, Akim Computer, and Abass.

The victim, Olamilekan Ibidokun, popularly known as Sunday, said that he was neighbours with Abass and became friends. “I was invited by him to join their group and when I refused, they decided to punish me and use me to set an example to others who refused to join them,” he said.

Ibidokun said that he was admitted to Bolakunmi Hospital, Ketu for two weeks when the unfortunate incident happened before he was referred to Ikorodu General Hospital, then LUTH, and many other hospitals.

“I got tired of my parents spending money without any progress and I advised them to stop. I used to see before but now everything has gone dark. Sometimes when I remember when I used to have my sight, it pains me a lot that some group of people just took it away from me.

“The challenges of getting things done as a blind person is enormous, but I thank God for the gift of life and I remain hopeful that the perpetrators would be brought to book,” he said.

Ibidokun said that he has been able to add value to himself by attending the Nigeria Society for The Blind, Oshodi in 2018, and graduated in 2019, where he learned how to use canes to make chairs and hamper baskets, among others.   (The Guardian)