Segun Azeez was locked down with big chain and padlocked for three months by his grandmother, Mrs Yemi Kazeem.
It was learnt that Segun’s mother, Yomi Kazeem (Maiden name), an auxiliary nurse, and who had parted ways with Segun’s father, allegedly provided the chain and padlock with which he was tied to a spot at home for over two months.
The boy was chained by his grandmother under the guise that he was stubborn and has an alleged stealing habit.
The Police Commissioner, Ahmed Illiyasu, led over a dozen armed policemen and Operatives of the Federal Anti – Robbery Squad (FSARS), to a bland bungalow on Ife – Lagba, Obada town, in Ewekoro Local Government Area of Ogun State and set the boy free from the forced incarceration around 4: 48pm on Wednesday.
Commissioner Ahmed Illiyasu however described the act as an inhuman which the command will not allow standing.
”The victim, Segun Azeez, was tied to an iron chair with a big chain at the residence of his grandmother for two months.This is a case of wickedness and the child had emaciated by reason of this inhuman treatment meted to him by the duo.” He sad
” Segun has been tied like an animal to a god and has been defecating and eating at the same spot for about two months.
“We quickly had to move in to effect the arrest in line with the laws of the state and international best practices.
” A human being cannot take such inhuman measure against another human being.
“Such issues can lead to cases of rituals and disappearances of human beings and so we had to move fast,”
Segun who broke down in tears after being rescued, said his ordeal began in his paternal family in Sagamu, where he alleged, someone charmed him and which made him to detest home and kept fleeing from it.
Amid sobs, the boy said he was accustomed to deprivations and hunger which compelled him to stop his education at primary three in Sagamu, adding that when his mother brought him to Obada town from Sagamu, he had thought his sufferings would lessen but unknown to him it was just a continuation in another dimension.
Police Commissioner, Illiyasu, said the crime was discovered through technical intelligence by the FSARS who were patrolling flash points and the boy was found “emaciated” because until his rescue, he “starves, urinates and defecates at spot where he was chained.”
The grand mother, Yemi Kazeem, told reporters that the boy was stubborn and elected to chain him down to prevent him from stealing and further fleeing home.
The woman said she suspected that Segun was having spiritual problems and had been fasting and praying so that what troubles him could be evicted.
Also, the boy’s biological mother, Yomi Kazeem, said she was not aware that chaining Segun to a stake was a crime, adding that she bought the chain for the purpose of confining him to save the grandmother the stress of searching for him should he flee home.
The mother who later spoke with newsmen said she and Segun’s father, Wale Azeez, had separated since 2011.
According to her, Segun has since been living with his paternal grandmother and had only brought the child back in November 2017.