Terrible! Dogs Bite Off 4-Year Old Boy’s Skull In Igando

Four-year-old Omonigho Abraham is currently battling for his
life at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, after his scalp
was eaten by two dogs.

The dogs chewed the skin and exposed the victim’s skull
during the attack which happened on Thursday on Adegboyega Street, Akesan
Estate, in the Igando area of Lagos.

Punch Metro had reported last week that the police arrested
the two dogs for attacking Omonigho.

However, our correspondent learnt from eyewitnesses that the
dogs dragged him through the compound for more than one hour while policemen
and sympathisers watched helplessly at the entrance of the house for fear of
being attacked by the savage dogs.

The immediate elder brother of the victim, seven-year-old
Osemudiamen, told our correspondent that the dogs had chased him, Omonigho and
their elder brother, Bobby, while they were taking turns to ride a bicycle.

He said, “We were riding a bicycle in the compound when the
big dogs ─ Jack and Gadaffi ─ started barking at us. Later, they moved towards
us.

“My elder brother and I quickly ran upstairs and locked the
door while Omo (Omonigho), who could not run fast, was left behind.

“When he got to the door, he knocked that we should open for
him and as we did, one of the dogs forced his way into the house with him.

“We all ran out. Bobby jumped down from upstairs and I also
jumped. But Omo could not jump, so the dog attacked him.

“The other dog also joined in the attack and there was
nothing we could do.”

It was learnt that the screams of the children who managed
to get outside attracted passersby and residents who besieged the house.

No fewer than seven policemen from the Igando Police Station
reportedly stood at the gate, confused.

An eyewitness, who lived on the street, but pleaded
anonymity, said, “The police came, but said there was nothing they could do.
The dogs were growling as they ate the child alive and that sent fear into
everyone. Nobody could move inside to challenge the dogs. Everybody was just
shouting in confusion and wielding sticks.”

The victim’s mother, Mrs. Helen Abraham, who was away when
the incident happened, said her son had been injured by the time she arrived at
the scene.

She said, “When I got there, I met a crowd. They asked me
not to go inside, but I refused to listen to them. One of the dogs emerged from
the corridor with blood stains in its mouth. I ran inside. The other dog, on
sighting me, pounced, but I fought back. It later ran away. I called on people
who joined me to take him to a hospital.

“This has been a nightmare I want to wake up from.”

The victim’s father, Mr. Odia Abraham, said the medical
personnel at the Igando General Hospital asked them to transfer him to LASUTH
because of the severity of the attack.

“The doctor at Igando said his condition was critical and we
should take him to LASUTH. When the incident happened, I was away at work.

“But when I got home, I saw parts of my son’s scalp on the
floor. The dogs dragged him through the compound for about one and half hours
and nobody moved near them. His face was also affected, but thankfully it did
not get to his eyes.

“His two brothers, who survived, also got injured. The
seven-year-old who spoke with you has a fracture, which we are still treating.
The other, who is 13 years, has a minor injury.

“We marked Omo’s fourth year birthday in June. He is a very
intelligent boy and he always tells me he wants to be a soldier because he loves
to protect people. I am hoping this thing will not affect his brain,” he said.

The police were said to have arrested the owner of the dogs,
one Stanley Wesley.

A resident said the people living in the house had warned
Wesley about his dogs but he refused to listen.

She said, “We became alarmed when he brought a third dog
recently which was more ferocious and bigger than the others. Whenever he took
that dog on a walk, even adults would be scared.

“People told him to find a place to keep his giant dogs, but
he refused to listen. It was the new dog that first followed those children
into the house.”

When our correspondent visited the Burns and Plastic Ward of
LASUTH, he was told the victim was asleep.

The matron in charge of the ward told our correspondent she
would not comment unless the Public Relations Officer of the hospital gave an
approval.

However, the PRO was said to be unavailable as he was on
leave.

A medical officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said
the victim’s condition was “serious and critical.”

The Police spokesperson, Lagos State Command, DSP Kenneth
Nwosu, said the police were the ones that actually rescued the victim.

Nwosu said, “I can confirm to you that on September 25, at
about 5.40pm, dogs belonging to one Stanley Wesley attacked and harmed a
four-year-old boy and the matter was reported at the Igando Police Division.

“The report from the Divisional Police Officer indicated
that the dogs were being kept to undergo some tests, while their owner had been
arrested. The report that the police did not do anything is not true.”

Punch