Man machetes 2-year-old boy, remanded in prison
By Mosunmola Ayobami, Kwara
A 32-year-old driver, Idowu Ali, has been remanded in Oke Kura Correctional Facility in Ilorin, Kwara State for allegedly assaulting and macheting a two-year-old boy over domestic issue.
Ali of Number 7, Alikali House, Adabata, Ilorin was dragged before an Ilorin Magistrates’ court for offences bordering on criminal trespass, causing grievous harm and attempted culpable homicide, contrary to Sections 348, 248 and 229 of the Penal code law.
The Police First Information Report (FIR) stated that the suspect, on June 7, 2022, attacked the family of one Emmanuel Ifeanyi at about 11:15pm macheted his two-year-old son, Godwin Ifeanyi, on his left leg and used same cutlass to cut the right thumb of the complainant.
The boy’s father reported the assault at ‘C’ Division police station, Ilorin.
According to Emmanuel Ifeanyi, the accused came to their apartment to challenge him over a domestic matter.
Ali allegedly left in anger only to return a few minutes later with a cutlass in his hand. He was alleged to have forcefully opened the door of the complainant’s apartment who was sleeping with his family, armed with the cutlass.
In an attempt to behead Godwin Ifeanyi, the complainant’s son who was sleeping on the floor, he succeeded in almost severing the leg of the two-year old from the ankle.
“Emmanuel Ifeanyi further stated that while he was trying to collect the cutlass from the said Idowu Ali to prevent him from further harming his family member, Idowu Ali used the cutlass to attack him and cut his right thumb.
“Immediate police action led to the arrest of Idowu Ali, who was fingered in attacking and macheting the two and half year-old boy.
“Investigation conducted at the CID Ilorin revealed that the genesis of this incident was that the son of Idowu Ali, named Alameen, 10 years old, was beating one Munachi, the son of Emmanuel Ifeanyi, and this degenerated into misunderstanding between both parents,” the police report said.
The victim of the attack, Godwin Ifeanyi, is still undergoing medical attention in one of the hospitals in the Ilorin metropolis.
When the case first came up on June 17, 2022, lawyer to the defendant, G. T. Olumo, filed a motion seeking for the release of the accused on bail, while the magistrate, Dasuki I.A. insisted that he must know the state of the victim before he could listen to any bail application.
Counsel to the victim’s family, Onwa Emmanuel Ifeanyi, who commended the magistrate for his persistence in ensuring that justice is done in the case, said parents of the victim had been approaching individuals and Igbo community in the metropolis for financial support to treat the victim.
The counsel said that he took up the case pro bono, adding that the Ministry of Justice had also filed a charge against the defendant at the High Court.
The case was adjourned to August 29, 2022.
