Photo: Bewitched Husband Bathes Wife With Acid In Kogi State

June 13, 2015 – Picture: Bewitched Husband Bathes Wife With Acid In Kogi State Months After He Married Another Woman

While in secondary school in Idah, Kogi State, Kazeem Abdullahi and Ladi Sule, were at­tracted to each other. Theirs was not love at first sight, it was a love developed, nurtured and blossomed. Overtime, it led to marriage. Shortly, after their secondary school, the marriage was consummated, and Ladi immediately became pregnant and was delivered of a baby girl in 2011.

However, as fate would have it, the baby died one year later, and events took a new twist as another spirit entered Ka­zeem, that he could no longer appreciate the charm, aura and beauty of his wife.

March 19, 2015, was a day Ladi had wished never existed. That was the day her nightmare started, as Kazeem was al­leged to have bathed her with acid, thereby turning her beauti­ful face to that of a monster.

In an emotion laden voice, Ladi’s elder brother, Isaac Sule, narrated to Saturday Sun, how his sister got into a marriage healthy, with a beautiful face and came out with a scary face because of acid poured on her by her estranged husband, Ka­zeem, who was arrested has been granted bail.

Isaac, who is calling for justice had petitioned Crime Vic­tims Foundation (CRIVON), a non-governmental organisa­tion in Lagos, asking for help to obtain justice, as the family seems helpless and can’t afford to pay for the cost of obtaining justice.

According to him, her sister is writhing in pains at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, Kogi State. Her body is wrapped in bandage, from the head to the chest. Part of her back and her right leg are soaked in foil. One of her eyes has been damaged by acid and her right ear is rolled into a small ball.

Isaac is also calling on pubic spirited individuals and or­ganisations to help in footing the hospital bill to at least give Ladi, a passable-looking facet to continue her normal life. He said the problem has over stretched his financial strength.

“ We have spent over N300,000 on her treatment. I have even taken a soft loan of N100, 000 from Sharp – Sharp. That along with the money from sympathisers has all been expend­ed. We have exceeded our financial limit,” Isaac said.

A letter dated May 25, 2015, signed by Dr. Ebune O.S, con­sultant plastic and reconstruction surgeon, Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, Kogi State, and entitled: “Re: Ladi Sule, 25 years; hospital no, 1399871,” stated that N745,000 is needed for her treatment. The letter reads, “ The above named pa­tient was brought into our health facility two months ago with chemical burns to the face, head, neck, upper trunk and both upper limbs.

“She requires multiple staged reconstructive procedure for the treatment of her burn and residual defects. The estimated cost of treatment is as follows: Stage reconstructive surgical procedures (five procedures at N75,000 each), cost N575,000; Investigative and blood transfusion, N60,000; Bed fees, N70,000; Nursing charges, N80,000; Drugs, N80,000; Physi­otherapy, N40,000 and miscellaneous, N40,000, bringing the total to 745,000.”

Isaac further said that the problem arose because their sis­ter called off the bluff of Kazeem when he severally threat­ened to teach her the lesson of her life. She didn’t tell anybody.

Narrating the genesis of the problem, Isaac said, “Not long after Ladi finished her secondary school education, she be­came pregnant for Kazeem in 2011, and moved into Kazeem’s house. The pregnancy produced a baby girl. Unfortunately, the baby died shortly after her first birthday. Kazeem married an­other wife in 2011 who also moved into the house with them, that was the beginning of Ladi’s travail.

“Because of the arrival of the new wife, Ladi’s marriage with Kazeem suffered terrible blows as the new wife was al­ways alleging that Ladi was bewitching her. She raised the alarm that Ladi was the reason she was unable to conceive, and alleged that Ladi had been visiting a neighbouring com­munity to fight her spiritually.

“The second wife was also said to have alleged that the sud­den disappearance of her clothes and other house hold items was a product of Ladi’s spiritual attack; a development that made Kazeem send Ladi away to our family house. Few months after, Kazeem approached Ladi to return to the house. This time around, we turned it down.

“ Even, our uncle frowned at it, and told Kazeem to pre­pare for marriage rites before he could get her back to his house. His position was hinged on the fact that Ladi was subjected to such maltreatment because there was no proper marriage between them. Kazeem promised to perform the marriage rites. In the interim, he rented a house, for her. However, few months after, Kazeem recanted and said he was no longer interested in the marriage.

“ I gave money to Ladi which she used to start the busi­ness of selling provision in the market in day time and, in the evening, retired to her street corner, Bishop Junction, selling fruits. In few months, she was able to raise fund and was already planning to seek admission to the university. It was at this Bishop Junction that Kazeem approached her and de­manded that she pack out of the house he rented for her, and threatened to deal with her.

“ He said he was going to recreate her and make her ugly, that, it was because men were still looking at her that made her think she was pretty, and that if she fails to move out from the house, he would deal with her and destroy her beauty.

“ Kazeem also approached the landlady he rented the house from, urging her to send Ladi packing. The landla­dy informed him that she could not send her away on the grounds that she had been able to renew the house rent on her own. Kazeem stormed out of the building but not before telling the landlady to expect him back in a manner she will never forget.

“Two weeks later, being March 19, it happened. It was around midnight when my sister was sleeping at home with her niece. Because of the heat, she decided to open her door; after all, some occupants of the building were also sleeping outside. She said she was woken up by the sound of her noice struggling with a man beside her on the bed. She saw my niece struggling with him.

“ My sister told us that she saw Kazeem holding a con­tainer in his hand. According to her, immediately she saw him, she began to scream his name but, before her shout could attract people, he had already poured the content on her. She further told us that she immediately felt as if her body was set on fire. She was unconscious when she was taken to the village cottage clinic. The niece was also af­fected on the head as the acid poured on her.

“It was from the hospital that she was referred to the Fed­eral Medical Centre, Lokoja where she spent one month at the emergency ward before she was transferred to the thea­tre for her first surgery and now lies in critical condition at the female surgical ward.”

Isaac, said the most annoying aspect of the development is that Kazeem is denying committing the crime. From the statement he made to the police, said he heard that a lady in her street had been bathed with acid. He was quoted as say­ing he only came to the station to report as a good citizen and because some people may say he was the one who did it. The police arrested Kazeem but three days later set him free.

Efforts made by Saturday Sun to speak to Kazeem proved abortive as his MTN line was never available, and text mes­sages sent to the line were not answered.

[Reported By Saturday Sun]