‘Why I chopped off 11-yr-old boy’s right hand’ ….Suspect, 61, arraigned

A 61- year- old fish pond owner, Jeremiah Obrifor, arrested by
operatives of Lagos state Police Command for allegedly cutting the
right hand of an 11-year- old boy, has given reasons for his
action.

”It was not the boy’s hand that I targeted. It was the fishing
hook that I targeted so that he would not succeed in taking the
fish in his hook, but the devil which must have been sent by people
from my village who envy me out of hatred and jealousy because I am
a successful man made me to miss the target just to put me in this
trouble.

‘’Let me give you a little background of my life before the
devil struck. I used to buy baby fish, about 3000, buy fish food
and nurse the fish for five to six months before harvesting
them.

‘’I used to buy my fish for N2000 and by the time I started
harvesting I would make like N450,000 to #500,000 excluding the
ones I will give to my neighbours as gifts.

‘’Let me tell you why I cut the boy’s right hand. I was living
outside my house and every week, I go there to inspect the pond at
No. 14 Isha Ibrahim street, Mechanic bus stop, Mebanu, Okokomaiko,
a suburb of Lagos.

‘’I am an electrician but in 1996 I felt that I could not do
electrical work again due to age. As a result I decided to build a
fish pond in my compound at the address I earlier told you. I
reared cat fish, water snapper that have scales which used to nap
water with tail. When I noticed that thieves used to come to steal
my fish I decided to raise the fence to prevent thieves from having
access to my pond but that measure or step did not stop them.

‘’In fact, the people in the neighbourhood had arrested these
boys many times and I had always asked my neighbours to let them
go. The only thing they used to do whenever they catch a thief
stealing my fishes is to seize the stolen fish and later hand the
stolen fish to my wife. However, the boys re-strategized and by
digging holes through the wall of the fence through which they cart
away my fish almost on a daily basis. All my three children are in
the university. The first daughter is in 400 level. I was planning
to go home and rest when all of them graduate but these thieves
became a nuisance to my struggle.

‘’On the 1st of June this year I went to my house to see my pond
as it rained heavily and I wanted to go and check the water level
but as I entered my compound I saw fish flying up and being drawn
through holes. I saw hooks drawing fishes. The thieves were about
seven and they all ran away when I shouted , who are you?.

‘’The following day which was Sunday, I had a meeting with my
kinsmen living in Lagos. The meeting was scheduled to be held in my
house so I arranged chairs downstairs for the meeting.

‘’It was the same day I had arranged for a carpenter and a mason
to come and cover those holes made by the suspected thieves. As I
was waiting for the mason I said let me call the carpenter to
prepare the platform which the mason would use when he arrives. As
I was seated upstairs trying to call the carpenter on phone the
thieves came again and I saw their hook ropes drawing away my
fish.

‘’I did not know what to do, rather, I decided to go down and
see what the thieves were doing well. As I came down, I took the
machete I kept near the pond which I used to clear grass near the
pond and went straight to where the hook rope was coming from one
of the holes. I targeted the hook but, very, very unfortunately,
the machete missed the rope and cut the boy’s right hand and the
hand fell inside the pond. I became confused and afraid because the
boy ran to the street behind my house shouting in pain which
attracted one of his relations , passersby and neighbours who came
in droves. The boy’s relation entered the pond and brought out his
chopped hand and rushed to a nearby police station.

‘’Oh! I was nearly lynched if not for the courage and gallantry
of two out of the three policemen who risked their lives to rescue
me from the mob and took me to their station. You can see the sign
of the serious beating I received from the mob. I am from Delta
state, Isoko and my brother is married to an Igbo woman. The Igbo
woman is from Ebonyi state. I have not even seen the face of the
small boy. They told me he is within the age range of 11, 12 , 13
years. My wife had gone to see them for a peaceful resolution of
the matter but she was not given attention. If God sets me free
from this problem I will relocate to my village. I will never do
fish pond again till I die.

‘’As I speak, I am still wondering why such an incident would
happen because I am a very quiet and friendly person known by my
neighbours. There is a retired military officer who is my
neighbour. You can go and ask him about me. He will tell you that I
am not a bad person. He himself, will be surprised how I got myself
involved in this case and I am suspecting people in my village must
have hands in this thing that happened and the way it happened. I
know that some of my people in the village hate me and are very
envious of me.’’

Confirming the incident, the spokesman of Lagos State Police
Command, Mr Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police(DSP),
said: ‘’On the 7th June, 2019, at about 12;20pm, one Doris Isaac of
No. 6 Ajanaku street, Okoko, reported at Okoko Police Station that
on the same day at about 8;30am, her foster son, Goodluck Amechi,
of the same address, an 11- year- old boy was attacked with a
machete by one Jeremiah Obrifor.’’

Elkana said the 61- year- old man Obrifor who resides at No. 14
Isha Ibrahim street, Mechanic Bus stop, Mebanu, Okoko, allegedly
cut off the boy’s right hand and it fell off.

He added that the victim was rushed to Igando General Hospital
for medical attention.

Elkana said, the suspect alleged that he saw the victim around
his fish pond and thought that he came to steal his fish, that was
why he brought out the cutlass and attacked him.

He also said that investigation was still ongoing and the
suspect would be charged to court after police investigation .

Meanwhile, Obrifor has been arraigned before an Ebute Meta Chief
Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly chopping off the right
hand of a 11-year-old boy.

Obrifor was slammed with a four-count charge of attempted
murder,causing grievous harm and unlawful assault.

He pleaded not guilty.

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