The grandmother of a two-year-old boy, Musa Murtala, has been arrested alongside his stepmother for removing his eye and tongue and private parts at their home in Gulu town in the Rimin Gado Local Government Area of Kano State.
Murtala was admitted in the children’s wing of the female orthopaedic ward at the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital on Friday, 20, 2016 where he is said to be in a critical condition.
The chief medical director of the hospital, Nura Idris, said on Tuesday, May 25, 2016 that the boy would take weeks to recover as he sustained deep cuts on different parts of his body.
He said: “His tongue, one of his eyes and a part of his private parts were cut. He had fractures of the humerus (upper limbs) and femura (lower limbs). There were lacerations here and there in his body. From the nature of the injuries, those behind the crime used a very sharp object, which could be a blade or knife.
“He had surgeries yesterday (Monday). We did some repairs on him and he’s doing well now. He is a child and his bones are still growing. Fractures for a child will not take long to heal. I am sure in a couple of weeks, he should be okay.”
The two women, Hafsatu, and Zainab,allegedly broke the legs and arms of Musa, cut his tongue, removed his eye and private parts, Punch reports.
It was learnt that the suspects were arrested after the victim’s father filed a report to the police.
The case was subsequently was transferred to the state criminal investigation department were the women are currently being interrogated.
The victim’s mother was said to have been divorced with her husband following a disagreement and had left her son under the care of his father, grandmother and stepmother.
Confirming the incident, the state police spokesperson, DSP Musa Magaji, said the two women denied torturing the boy, adding that investigation was still ongoing.
He said: “It happened on Friday. The boy’s father came back from work late and when he saw what had happened to the child, he reported to the police.
“He said he divorced the boy’s mother and handed him over to his mother and second wife. He said it was on Friday that he discovered what both his wife and mother had done to his son.
“We took him to the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital. His legs and arms were broken; there was a deep cut on his private parts, he was also not seeing with one eye.
“Because he is a toddler, there is no way we can ask him what happened.”
