Residents of Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, on Saturday, expressed concerns over the recent upsurge of attacks by mentally challenged persons on innocent passersby, calling on relevant authorities to evacuate them from the streets.
Some of the residents maintained that those who have fallen victims to the attacks of the mentally challenged persons included women and children. They expressed sadness over the rising influx of mentally challenged persons especially young men on the streets, major roads, market places and other places within the capital city.
A trader at the International Market Abakaliki, Mrs. Charity Ezinwa, who described the influx as alarming, noted that many of them not only appear violent, but also carry around dangerous weapons around with them.
She noted that their presence does not only constitute nuisance but it also poses a threat to innocent citizens and normal people.
She noted that oftentimes, these mad persons come to your shop begging for money and when you don’t pay attention to them, they either abscond with your goods or they will spoil something in your shop.
Most times they only target women, ladies and children. I recall an incident that happened along waterworks road Abakaliki when a young mad man pushed a woman on a commercial motorcycle and she fell from the bike and died. The mad man ran away till today. Nothing was heard again of the unfortunate incident.
“Most times, you see them in their numbers prowling the streets and the market and you begin to wonder, Where did they come from?”
Another resident, Mr. Chidi Uzor, called on the state government to either build a settlement centre for them or find a way to evacuate them from the streets.
Most times you see a mad woman prowling the streets months later, you see her pregnant, who are the people impregnating them? Are the people fellow mad people or normal people? She will nurse the pregnancy but surprisingly, after 9 months, you won’t see her with the pregnancy again and you won’t see her with the baby.
LEADERSHIP gathered that a few days ago, tragedy struck in Umuchima Enuebo in Uburu Ohaozara LGA when a mentally challenged man attacked and killed an elderly woman, Mrs. Eunice Njoku, while returning from her farm.
A source who spoke to LEADERSHIP on grounds of anonymity said that the suspected mad man, who was in the habit of harassing people with dangerous weapons, met the deceased on a lonely farm road and attacked her with a rod which led to her instant death.
It was further gathered that the youths of the area quickly mobilised and overpowered the suspected mad man, who was said to have died later in the day.
Men of the Ohaozara Division of the Nigeria Police Force who came to the scene of the incident took the body of the deceased woman and deposited her at the David Umahi University Teaching Hospital Mortuary, Uburu.
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