Saints and Devils

How Citizen Danjuma survived
35 days on dumpsite

For over 30 days, 25-year- old Danjuma was atop
a refuse heap. He was fed secretly by a 14-year-
old girl, Sarah Okoro and sympathetic neighbours.
Danjuma’s story, said sources, is that of rejection
and struggle.
Officials of Edo State Ministry of Women and Social
Development did nothing to get him out of the
dumpsite.
Danjuma was born a paraphelgic. His father,
according to him, is a native of Ndoma, Benue
State. His late mother, Kate, was an official of the
moribund Nigeria Telecommunications Limited
(NITEL) . The father’s whereabout is unknown.
It was gathered that Danjuma’s predicament began
when his mother died in 2007 and his care fell on
the late mother’s relatives.
Sources said Danjuma was taken in by his aunt. A
neighbour said Danjuma’s mother left some
substantial amount in her account for the upkeep
of her son.
A life of rejection and torture began for Danjuma
after the money left by his mother was said to
have been spent. Danjuma’s aunt living at
Ugbiyoko was said to taken him to his uncle who
lives at their family residence on Oza Street, off
Sakponba Road.
A tenant at the family’s residence told our reporter
that the uncle known as Arase was peeved that
Danjuma was brought to his residence after all the
money left for his upkeep has been spent.
The tenant said the uncle took Danjuma to the
University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) and
abandoned him there. The university management
was said to have returned Danjuma to the uncle
after many months.
According to the tenant, “The uncle threw him out
and left him in the backyard. Danjuma was inside
the rain and sun. The place is flooded. Whenever it
rained , Danjuma would be inside. If any of us
wanted to take Danjuma out, the uncle would
threaten to beat us.”
It was further learnt that the uncle threw Danjuma
on top the refuse heap to prevent people from
caring for him.
Neighbour were aware of Danjuma’s plight but did
nothing to rescue him.
Pastor Infeanyi Anyanli said they used to give
Danjuma bread and food secretly to avoid being
caught by the uncle.
Miss Okoro took pity on Danjuma and bravely
provided meals for him despite repeated beatings
by the uncle.
The wheel chair used by Danjuma was destroyed
by the uncle at the refuse heap.
The Coordinator of Forum of Women in Politics
(FONWIP) Mrs. Florence Igbinigie, told reporters
that the uncle was annoyed that family members
who collected the N6m left by Danjuma’s mother
brought him to his house without any money.
According to her, “Danjuma would be inside the
flood and sun. The wheel chair he used was
thrown away. The man threatens to deal with
anybody who gives him food.”
“I have reported to the Woman Affairs Ministry and
they are yet to take action. The boy needs medical
care and rehabilitation. He can still do something.”
Mrs. Igbinigie lamented the slow rescue efforts by
the National Human Rights Commission, the
Nigerian Police and the Ministry of Women Affairs
and Social Development.
She said the Divisional Police Officer in charge of
the zone said it was not within their responsibility
to rescue Danjuma from the heap.
The letter she wrote to these organisations reads:
“I wish to draw your urgent attention to a 25-year-
old physically challenged who was thrown into a
dustbin behind their house at number 12 Oza
Street, off Sakponba Road by his uncle, Mr. Arase.
“As we tried to approach the house, the said uncle
paid a deaf ear to us and was almost attacking us;
so, we had to run for our dear lives. Due to that
kind of attitude, we suspect more harm can be
done to the boy if urgent step is not taken. Hence
we write you to please intervene to protect the life
of this boy and seek justice for this inhuman
treatment meted to him.
“Please use your office to help rehabilitate the boy.
We have been caring for him since we learnt about
the incident. Rescue came for Danjuma last
Thursday when he was taken to the Faith Mediplex
on Airport Road in Benin City.”
He is being treated for malaria, sepsis, urinary tract
infection and cholera. Doctors said Danjuma’s
survival on the refuse heap was an act of God.
On the hospital bed, Danjuma’s first words were:
“ My uncle put me for dustbin.”
He said he was yet to comprehend why his
mother’s relatives mistreated him when the mother
cared for them when she was alive.
Danjuma, who said he stopped at primary five, said
he suffered more when he was staying with his
aunt.
He disclosed that his mother’s properties were at
Ibadan and that the relatives would collect them if
they knew the location.
He tried to spell his father’s name but could not.
“My mummy sister beat me very well. She put me
outside and I slept outside in cold for many days.
She took me to my uncle and my uncle returned
me to her. She called two soldiers who took me
back to my uncle.
“I feel better and I am eating well now. I asked my
mother: ‘where is my father?’ She said he went to
Port Harcourt. My father is an Ndoma. I schooled
at Ibadan. I ended my education in primary five.
My mummy said I should stop because we were
going back to Benin.
“My mummy had money. She cared for her people.
My mummy’s sister lives at Ugbiyoko. She kept
me in the cold. I was outside for many days in the
cold. My uncle beat me. He threw me on the
ground. If I show you my back, it is peeled. My
uncle took me back to my aunt’s place. She called
two soldiers who carried me to my uncle place. I
can read when it is written down.”
Miss Okoro, who was at the hospital looking after
Danjuma, was all tears when she was informed
that she was too young to care for him.
“Why did they say I should leave Danjuma? I am
from Delta State. They kept him at the back of our
house. I cannot be at home and see him not
eating. I used to hear him shouting: ‘I am hungry,
I am hungry’. I then took food to him. The uncle
stopped us from feeding him. My brother and I
fed him. The uncle used stone to hit my brother
but my mother told us not to give up. The uncle
beat me one day.”
There was a drama on who was responsible for
the rescue of Danjuma as two NGOs, Face to Face
Empowerment Initiative and FONWIP clashed over
who was responsible for the rescue of Danjuma.
Mr. Curtis Ugbo Eghosa of Face to Face said he
was taken aback when he heard a voice from atop
the refuse heap, saying: ‘I am here’. He was
almost dying when we saw him. He talked faintly
and I felt we should take him immediately.
“I was called that somebody was on a refuse heap.
I was really surprised to see man’s inhumanity to
man in this age. I felt we cannot leave the man
there. The wheel chair was destroyed. We took him
to Central hospital but they were on strike. I took
him to another hospital and there was no space;
so, we brought him here.
“The hospital asked Mrs. Igbinigie why she waited
for so long before the rescue on the day I went
there. That boy would have died the next day. Her
only quarrel was that I did not mention her name
when I spoke to the press.”
But, Mrs. Igbinigie said she was responsible for
the rescue of Danjuma.
She said: “The hospital management was shocked
when I brought out the receipt for deposit
payment. I have never seen this kind of thing in
my life. My NGO has been on for a long time.
People want to be in NGO to claim other people’s
credit.”
She vowed to take on the Commissioner of Police
and the National Human Rights Commission for the
delay in the arrest of Danjuma’s uncle.
Police spokesman DSP Uwoh Noble said he was
yet to be properly briefed about the incident.
A Director in the Ministry of Women Affairs and
Social Development, who pleaded anonymity,
confirmed that they were aware of Danjuma’s case
but said the state government had no place to
keep him.
The Director said they were discussing with an
NGO, Project Charilove but that the NGO was
making things difficult for the government.
“Please meet our commissioner to hear from her
on why we have not gone there. The Permanent
Secretary is also aware of the situation,” the
director said.
The administrator of the hospital, Prof. Doreen
Babog, promised that the hospital would do its
best to ensure that Danjuma got good health care.