Facebook user, Ogechi Njoku, yesterday met with a little boy who sleeps in an uncompleted building in Abuja. Upon interrogation, the little boy said his father sent him out of the house after he told a neighbor that his father has refused to send him to school.
When Ogechi accosted the father to ask him how he can treat his biological child in such a manner, the man reportedly answered that the boy is old enough to take care of himself. At 13? Read Ogechi’s account of what transpired below:
I just found out that a boy of 13 years old is seriously been abused beside my house. There is this family whose husband is a tailor, and the wife is doing nothing, they had 6 children, 5 girls and 1 boy, living in a room apartment, but that is not the major issue here or my concern.
The issue is that the only boy they have, who is their first child is been subjected to inhuman treatment and punishment for an inconsequential reason tagged stubborness. The man do beat this boy mercilessly, sometimes without food, and without sending him to school.
sometimes, my kids would share their food with this boy. I started noticing that the boy is keeping late nights in my house, which I often order him to go home and he would leave, I didn’t know that each time I chase him out to go home, that he doesn’t go home, rather, he ends up in an uncompleted beside my house. This uncompleted building has no roof over it.
I noticed that the countenance of my son changed because I often chase his friend being the 13 year old boy home for staying late night in my house, which I had to teach him that it is bad to keep late night, that a child is not supposed to be away from their parents house latest 6 pm.
My son responded that mom I won’t understand. I told him to make me understand, but said Mom don’t worry. This morning, I had dressed up for work when my son came to my room and said Mom, that please he want to show me something, I said OK, he requested that I should follow him to the uncompleted building in front of our house.
I did, Lo and behold, the 13 years old is sleeping there on abandoned chair. I asked him some questions of what happened, he said that is where they boy has been sleeping for over a month, and that is why he is keeping late nights in our house, I couldn’t believe what I was told. I rushed to his parents house, called the supposed father to come and see his child, the man reluctantly followed me and saw his child, I asked, when did this started and why, the man told me that the boy is grown to take care of himself, my jaw dropped at his response, I asked him, is he sure, that he gave birth to that boy, he walked out on me living the boy there, I questioned the boy, who was already sick, when he started sleeping there and what happened, he said for over a month, and that it is in my house he has been eating food.
That his offence was he told one of our Neighbor That his father does not want to send him to school, and the neighbor confronted the man, so the man chase him out to go and meet the neighbor. So I asked the boy to go and stay in my house till I come back from work. I left for work, came back, and called a meeting between all our neighbors and sent for the mother of the boy, I was shocked to hear testimonies of other neighbors, they were all tired, they even said that it has been over a month the boy was chased out. All these testimonies were before the mother, and I asked the woman is it true?
She said that the husband chased him out and she asked the boy to go to his uncle house to be sleeping, that she didn’t know that the boy is sleeping in the uncompleted building. But everyone refuted her claim, that she knew, that they have called her attention to it but she was too scared of her husband, hence she allowed their son to suffer in that manner. Hmmm, the boy as we speak is sick, I ordered her to carry his son, and I told her that if they don’t take care of that boy by tomorrow I will call police on them.
She took the boy home, suprisedly, the man chased the boy out again, as I write, the boy is in my house, hence the need for this update. But I need to report them to social welfare, please anyone who knows social welfare in Abuja, should indicate in comment section. Below is the pictures of the uncompleted building, I personally did not attached the boy picture. Make una see where a boy of 13 years is subjected to live for over a month now by his own parents..