A 10-year-old epileptic Nigerian boy survived by eating his own faeces and left-over goat feed, after his stepmothers and father tied him in an animal shed for two years. The victim, Jibril Aliyu, was rescued by human rights activists from the animal shed located on his family's property in Badariya area of Birnin Kebb.
The video clip of Aliyu's rescue has gone viral on social media, prompting a huge response from the netizens. The boy was rescued after the activists received a tip-off, BBC reported.
Aliyu Suffers From Severe Malnourishment
According to The Sun, the rescue workers found Aliyu tied to a wooden pole in the animal shed, which he shared with goats and chickens. Calling it the highest level of barbarity and extreme cruelty, the rescuers took the severely malnourished Aliyu to the hospital.
The viral video shows a partially clothed Aliyu picking up scraps of food strewn on the ground, to eat. Scared, Aliyu is seen peeking from behind the wood pieces, as rescue workers approach him. Apart from having protruding bones, Aliyu found it extremely difficult to walk and had to be lifted by the rescue workers.
Sharing the clip, Manir Jega, an activist, said that it was Nigeria's worst child abuse of our time. "This is a story of a boy called Jibril Aliyu, who hails from Badariya Area of Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State," he captioned the clip.
The activist said that due to years of monstrous treatment the boy was subjected to, Aliyu has lost his senses and behaves exactly like an animal.
Boy's Father and Stepmothers Lead Comfortable Lives Nearby
The ordeal for Aliyu began two years ago after the death of his mother. "The boy was chained alongside animals by his two stepmothers after the death of his mother. He was denied shelter, clothing, food, not to talk of health care. He was maltreated by these same people like an animal to the extent that he was feeding on the remnant food of the animals he was tied with and even ate his faeces, until he was rescued by some Human Right activists," revealed Jega.
Aliyu's father and stepmothers, who led a comfortable life in their home located nearby, have been arrested by the police, reported the outlet.
Speaking to reporters, one of the Aliyu 's older brother said that Aliyu was tied to the pillar only during the day as he suffered from epilepsy and often wandered away. The sibling also revealed that their parents sold a house and car to fund Aliyu's epilepsy treatment.
The Sun quoted DSP Nafi'u Abubakar stating that they have arrested Jibril's father and his three wives for allegedly chaining the boy for over two years. "Our men arrested the suspects on Sunday in Badariya area of Birnin Kebbi Local Government. The boy is at Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital as the investigation is still ongoing to unravel the circumstances behind chaining the boy in an animal stall for that period," he said.
