Written By Tayo Faloye.
Pix: thewittyjournalblog.
Staffs, patients and visitors at the Amuwo child and maternal centre were visibly shaken on Tuesday, November 15. It's a story of man's inhumanity to man. Unimaginable cruelty!
A woman using a child with severe scald wounds on her thighs for street begging was dragged down by passers-by from the 1st gate bridge to the hospital. The visibly weak and badly wounded girl was brought along.
It happened that the woman had taken this six year old to the bridge for her daily public money soliciting ritual. She had just recently moved to the spot from God knows where. It didn't go down well with other beggars on the bridge. They felt she was new and 'spoiling their market.' The beggars spoke up and objected her continued presence in their midst. An argument ensued.
The disagreement drew the attention of some passers-by who decided to intervene. The beggarly woman was advised to seek medical help for her child instead of begging since a Government hospital was just a stone throw away from the location.
One of the passers-by, a woman, took more interest in the plight of the girl, whose wounds had become a sore, and were festering. She offered to assist the beggarly woman in paying for the drugs and other medication the girl may need at the hospital while being treated. But, to the surprise of everybody, the beggarly woman vehemently declined all the advice and overtures of goodwill. This made some of the those gathered suspicious.
Well, trust Nigerians! They'd forcefully carried the girl and dragged the woman by her wrapper down to the Amuwo Child and Maternal Centre at 1st gate, Festac Town. At the hospital, the girl was separated from the woman and asked to explain the cause of the severe sore on her thighs. And, her confession brought tears to the eyes of many who witnessed the drama. It was pathetic.
The wound on the girl's thighs was inflicted on her by the same woman found with her, so as to make money off her through begging. The girl's mother lives in Port Harcourt and handed her over to her sister who lives in Lagos. Her mother's sister then gave the girl to the woman in question and conspired with her to inflict the wound on her for street begging. The proceeds made from the little girl's anguish is shared by the two women.
According to the girl, the woman procured and poured toxic Cashew fluid known as Cardol on her thighs to create the fatal wounds. She was in excruciating pains. And anytime the sore seemed to be healing up, the woman applied more Cardol to her wounds to make them fester and fresher for her cynical venture.
Cashew fluid (Cardol) is known to actually burn holes in the skin or cause blistering of the skin. Therefore, for humans to even consume cashew nuts they must be processed and mechanically shelled. Individuals working to process cashews must wear gloves at all times to protect their skin.
After the girl's revelations, the evil woman was handed over to police. The mother's sister was subsequently arrested too. The girl is currently receiving medical attention and her case has been taken over by government. The girl's mother would be arriving Lagos on Friday 18th, as I reliably gathered.
- Tayo Faloye
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