A 32-year-old commercial 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 a domestic issue.
Idowu Ali of Number 7, Alikali House, Adabata, Ilorin was dragged before an Ilorin magistrate court for offences bordering on criminal trespass, causing grievous hurt, and attempted culpable homicide, contrary to Sections 348, 248, and 229 of the Penal code Law.
The Police First Information Report (FIR) stated that on June 7, 2022, the suspect attacked the family of one Emmanuel Ifeanyi, male, at about 11:15 pm to machete his two-year-old son, Godwin Ifeanyi, on his left leg and used the same cutlass to cut right thumb of the complainant.
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“On 14/06/2022 at about 1416hours, the case was transferred from Divisional Police headquarters ‘C’ Division, Oja Oba, Ilorin, Kwara State to the Criminal Investigation Department for discreet investigation,” the command said.
“That on 08/6/2022 at 1000 hours one Emmanuel Ifeanyi, male, of Adabata area Ilorin reported at ‘C’ Division police station, Ilorin that on 7/6/2022 at about 2315 hours he was with his family sleeping at the corridor of his house which is upstairs when suddenly one Idowu Ali, male, of No.7 Alikali house Adabata, Ilorin climbed upstairs to challenge him over a domestic matter and left in anger only to return a few minutes after with a cutlass in his hand and forcefully kicked the door of his house open and with the cutlass in his hand, approached him and his family who were sleeping.
“And the said Idowu Ali, who aimed to behead Godwin Ifeanyi, the complainant’s son, incidentally cut the leg and almost severed the leg from the ankle of Godwin Ifeanyi, male, aged two and half years old, who was sleeping on the floor.
“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 male, 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.
“During the discreet investigation, you, Idowu Ali, confessed that your wife called you on the phone that Emmanuel Ifeanyi, popularly called Baba Ibo, and his wife were beating her and you told your wife to wait till you return from work in the evening. And when you returned from work in the night, you forcefully trespassed and kicked the door of Emmanuel Ifeanyi aka Baba Ibo’s house open and challenged him as to why he and his wife beat your wife and that Baba Ibo pushed you which made you return to your house to pick your cutlass and went back to Baba Ibo’s house with the cutlass and severed two and half-year-old Ifeanyi Godwin’s right leg from the ankle”.
The victim of the attack, Godwin Ifeanyi, is still undergoing medical attention in one of the hospitals in the Ilorin metropolis.
During the hearing of the case on June 17, 2022, the lawyer to the defendant, G. T. Olumo, filed a motion seeking the release of the criminal defendant on bail, while the magistrate, Dasuki I.A. insisted that he must know the state of the victim before he could listen to any application.
Counsel to the victim’s family, Onwa Emmanuel Ifeanyi Esq, who commended the magistrate for his persistence in ensuring that justice is done in the case, said the parents of the victim had been approaching individuals and the Igbo community in the metropolis for financial support to treat the victim.
The counsel, who is also a human rights activist, said that he took up the case on probono since the beginning of the case, adding that the state Ministry of Justice had also filed a charge against the criminal defendant, before the High Court.
The Court has adjourned the matter till August 29, 2022.