Police Arrest Herbalist Who Burnt 13-Year-Old Boy’s Hands In Nasarawa

Recall the sad story of a 13-year-old boy, Ovey Friday, whose stepmother took to a native doctor who burnt his hands with coals of fire after he was accused of being a wizard.

The stepmother had alleged that he slept with her in the dream while asking him to confess and get the spirit off him.

She then took him to the native doctor in Wulko Community, Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, where hot coals were placed on the boy’s tied hands. The incident led to a permanent deformity of his right hand while the left hand was amputated at an Abuja hospital on November 14th.

The police have arrested the accused native doctor, 45-year old Adamu Musa.

He, however, denied that he burnt Ovey’s hands, saying he only rubbed a herbal substance on his hands.

“They are saying, I burnt his hands but I didn’t burn his hands. It is just a medicine I rubbed over his hands to ascertain if he is possessed or not and I told them(the stepmother and paternal grandmother), that if he is possessed, he would vomit and if he is not his hands will swell severely. It is the medicine that made his hands like that because he is not possessed’‘ he said

The victim, however, dismissed the herbalists’ claim. Ovey in a chat with newsmen said.

”He is lying, he burnt my hands and the whole act didn’t happen in the presence of my stepmother and paternal grandmother. They were in another room and we were in another” .

Ovey’s father, Friday who did not show up after the October 28th incident amidst several phone calls was also not present during the surgery. He, however, arrived Wulko community in Nasarawa Eggon local government area of Nasarawa state, Monday,18th November which is three weeks after the ordeal and is yet to visit his son at the hospital.

Commenting on the arrest, Bola Longe, the state police commissioner, said the suspects will be charged to court.

“They are being subjected to exhaustive interrogation to know the veracity of their statement. We will definitely charge them to court when we complete the investigation and it will be very soon and we want to use the case to send a message to members of the public particularly those who are saddled with the affairs of taking care of children. No one should show wickedness any child and quine who does so will face the full wrath of the law,” he said.