Chained boy: Buhari’s wife shows interest – Mrs Amosun

THE wife of the Ogun State governor, Mrs Olufunso Amosun, on Tuesday, said that the wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has shown interest in the case of a nine year-old boy, Korede Taiwo, chained by his father, Pastor Francis Taiwo.

Mrs Amosun disclosed this during her visit to the boy who is currently ‎on admission at the Paediatric Unit of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abeokuta, accompanied by the Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Modupe Mujota and Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Olumide Ayeni and Commissioner for Health, Dr Babatunde Ipaye.

The governor’s wife expressed happiness about the state of mind of the boy, despite the harrowing experience he had gone through in the hands of his father and step-mother, Kehinde Taiwo.

She said that Mrs Buhari had been interacting with her about the case of the young Taiwo, and that interest showed that she is indeed the “mother of the nation.

“I will like to place on record, because it is very important that the mother of the nation has followed this case from the very onset, even before it was officially declared in the newspapers.

“She is passionate about this matter. Throughout yesterday, she interacted with ‎me about the condition of the child and the action that have been taken.  I think this is worthy of note that the wife of our president is compassionate about happenings in various states,” Mrs Amosun added.

On the condition of the boy, Mrs Amosun, said the boy is recuperating and mentally alert, assuring that the proactive steps so far taken by the state government would go a long way in keeping hope alive for the boy.

‎Mrs Amosun said, “We feel very reassured based on previous report we have heard. The child informed us of all that he had been subjected to. I was actually worried that we are going to see a dejected, withdrawn, traumatised child.

“We are happy to the glory of God that Korede is very active. His mind is alert. In terms of growth, he seems smaller than what his age would be, but aside in my opinion, he seems to be recuperating very well, bearing in mind what he had been subjected to. I am reassured by the proactive steps the Ogun State government intend to take, that it will be well with him.‎”

The hospital’s Head of Paediatrics Department, ‎Dr Morufat Ogundeyi, said the boy is being managed in a case of child abuse and chronic malnutrition. She assured that the young Taiwo, in the next few days, would come out better from his situation.

She said: “We are managing the boy for child abuse. This morning, the child appears brighter and looks better than the way he was brought in on Monday. He has been able to furnish us with some information. Within the next few days or weeks, the boy will be much okay. ‎We are managing him for chronic malnutrition.”

Ayeni said the case of the boy had already been taken to court for justice, and that anyone found culpable would face the full wrath of the law.

He maintained that the state has zero tolerance ‎for child abuse and any form of deprivation and promised that due process would be followed in the matter.

‎”The matter is already taken to court. Criminal sanctions will be fully deployed to those who are culpable and I assure you that I have the mandate of the Excellency, the Governor, that I as the Attorney General will follow the case with due process and ensure that the culpability is established,” the Commissioner for Justice said.