By Uju Mbanusi
For 22-year-old Sunday
Onyike, a Business
Administration student of
Yaba College of Technology,
Yaba-Lagos, the hope of
successfully rounding up his
programme with the his
peers have been dashed.
This is because of the
prolonged treatment he has
been receiving since March,
2011 as a result of serious
injury he sustained during a
scuffle with his neighbours
identified as Augustine Eleyi,
28, and Emeka Eleyi, 32,
from Ohozara in Mgbo
Ebonyi State.
The injured part and Mr
Okpara father of the
injured
The injured part and Mr
Okpara father of the injured
Sunday, the only son of his
parents from Ohafia in
AbiaState, had his scrotum
slashed off during a fight
with two of his neighbours.
Narrating the circumstances
that led to the problem to
Crime Guard at their Makoko
residence, the father of the
victim, Onyike Okpara,65,
stated; “I have been living in
this compound since 1970.
I had five children but only
two are alive; that is Sunday
and his younger sister who
works at LagosIsland.
I occupy two rooms in the
building, one room which I
sleep in, and the other at the
back of the building, where
my children sleep. When ever
my daughter comes home
from work, she buys and
shares biscuits, sweets and
gala to our neighbour’s
children. So, the children
always look forward to her
returning from work.
More so, when ever she is
sharing these goodies to the
children, two of our
neighbours, Augustine Eleyi
and his elder brother, Emeka
Eleyi (who normally sits on
the chair I kept in front of my
children’s room at the boys
quarters to smoke Indian
hemp), would always walk
up to them, grab what ever
is within their grasp, and
flee. Instead of them to ask,
they would grab what ever
they can and run away. My
daughter complained about
this to me, and I had called
and cautioned them to desist
from such act, but they
would not listen.
On the evening of March 1st,
2011, she was seated at the
boys’ quarters with some
children sharing some gala
when Augustine Eleyi, came
and as usual, grabbed one
gala and ran away.
My daughter pursued him
and in the process, N200 fell
from his pocket. She picked
it up and said it would serve
as a payment for all the gala
and biscuits he has been
snatching from them.
Later on, on a second
thought, she decided to give
him back the money as she
thought it was not worth it.
Having searched around for
him, and not knowing of his
whereabouts, she decided to
give him the money the next
day.
On the evening of that day
which was the 2nd of March,
2011, after she got back
from work, she took the
money to him at the boys
quarters, but he said he does
not want it anymore. At that
point, an argument ensued
between them, during which
his younger brother, Emeka
Eleyi collected the money
from my daughter.
As the argument continued,
my son Sunday who was in
the room preparing for the
next day’s lecture, told his
sister to let the matter be,
and go to our main room
and sleep, while he asked
Augustine and Emeka to
leave the place because they
were disturbing him with
their noise.
Augustine asked him if the
place looked like his school
hostel, that if he wants to
read, he should pack his
books and go to his school
hostel. As the argument
raged, he slapped my son,
who grabbed him on his
shirt asking ‘what have I
done to you’?, Emeka rushed
to them pretending as if we
was going for peace only for
him to grab my son’s two
hands, while Augustine
rushed and fetched a sharp
object, and used it to slash
my son’s scrotum.
I feel he actually wanted to
cut off his male organ, but
missed. My son’s cry of agony
attracted the attention of
passersby, because part of
the compound is a
thoroughfare; it was these
passersby that ran to inform
us at the other side of the
building.
I ran to the place and met my
son in a pool of his blood. On
sighting us, the culprits
bolted. I wanted to run after
them but I was weakened by
the sight of my son lying in
pains, in the pool of his
blood.
I also thought, if I go after
them at that point, what
would be the fate of my son
when I get back, hence I
opted to stay back, with the
help of the other neighbours
and some of our church
members, my son was
rushed to the State Criminal
Investigations Department,
SCID, Panti, Yaba, from
where we obtained a note to
take him to the hospital. At
that time, the GeneralHospital
was on strike, we brought
my son back to Adekunle
Police Station, and they asked
us to find a private hospital
and take him there.
So, we took him to a private
hospital at Iwaya. Augustine
and Emeka were later
apprehended by neighbours
who went after them, and
handed over to the police.”
Crime Guard learnt that the
case has been at the Yaba
Magistrate’s Court since
2011. Onyike Okpara
further told our reporter that
for one month his son was
at the hospital in Iwaya, the
Eleyi family only contributed
N15,000 for the medical bills.
He stated, “after the initial
N15,000 installment they
brought when Sunday was
taken to the hospital, I have
not heard from them.
Three times, my pastor and
family called them to seek
out ways to settle the matter
amicably; when they come,
they will be dribbling us, they
will promise to contribute to
the medical bills but we wont
hear from them after that. I
have so far spent almost
N200,000, I have the medical
bill to prove that”.
He also alleged that some
members of the Eleyi family
have threatened him to
accept their term of payment,
which is to pay N40,000, as
their contribution; and
withdraw the case from
court. He stated, “On
November 18, 2012 at about
9:30pm, they sent six men,
out of which I recognized
three, they came asking me
to sign a document, I could
not properly read through
because of my poor sight, at
that time of the night.
One of them practically told
me that “ so many people die
in Lagos every day, and their
corpses are never
discovered; I would want
your corpse to be found”.
What he meant by that, I do
not know. I don’t feel safe
anymore.
First, they tried to take my
son away, now they are
threatening me to accept a
condition I don’t think any of
them would accept if it were
their son that was involved.”
Counsel to the defendant,
Worer Obuagbaka, on his
part told Crime Guard that
what happened between the
defendant and the
complainant was
unfortunate. According to
him, they have been living
peacefully together for some
years, what we are trying to
do is to see if we can settle
the case amicably.” He said
the defendants have been
granted bail but are still in
police custody because they
have not been able to perfect
their bail.