While in secondary school in Idah, Kogi State, Kazeem Abdullahi and
Ladi Sule, were attracted to each other. Theirs was not love at first
sight, it was a love developed, nurtured and blossomed. Overtime, it led
to marriage. Shortly, after their secondary school, the marriage was
consummated, and Ladi immediately became pregnant and was delivered of a
baby girl in 2011.
However, as fate would have it, the baby died one year later, and
events took a new twist as another spirit entered Kazeem, that he could
no longer appreciate the charm, aura and beauty of his wife.
March 19, 2015, was a day Ladi had wished never existed. That was the
day her nightmare started, as Kazeem was alleged to have bathed her
with acid, thereby turning her beautiful face to that of a monster.
In an emotion laden voice, Ladi’s elder brother, Isaac Sule, narrated to Saturday Sun,
how his sister got into a marriage healthy, with a beautiful face and
came out with a scary face because of acid poured on her by her
estranged husband, Kazeem, who was arrested has been granted bail.
According to him, her sister is writhing in pains at the Federal
Medical Centre, Lokoja, Kogi State. Her body is wrapped in bandage, from
the head to the chest. Part of her back and her right leg are soaked in
foil. One of her eyes has been damaged by acid and her right ear is
rolled into a small ball.
“ We have spent over N300,000 on her treatment. I have even taken a
soft loan of N100, 000 from Sharp – Sharp. That along with the money
from sympathisers has all been expended. We have exceeded our financial
limit,” Isaac said.
A letter dated May 25, 2015, signed by Dr. Ebune O.S, consultant
plastic and reconstruction surgeon, Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, Kogi
State, and entitled: “Re: Ladi Sule, 25 years; hospital no, 1399871,”
stated that N745,000 is needed for her treatment. The letter reads, “
The above named patient was brought into our health facility two months
ago with chemical burns to the face, head, neck, upper trunk and both
upper limbs.
“She requires multiple staged reconstructive procedure for the
treatment of her burn and residual defects. The estimated cost of
treatment is as follows: Stage reconstructive surgical procedures (five
procedures at N75,000 each), cost N575,000; Investigative and blood
transfusion, N60,000; Bed fees, N70,000; Nursing charges, N80,000;
Drugs, N80,000; Physiotherapy, N40,000 and miscellaneous, N40,000,
bringing the total to 745,000.”
Isaac further said that the problem arose because their sister
called off the bluff of Kazeem when he severally threatened to teach
her the lesson of her life. She didn’t tell anybody.
Narrating the genesis of the problem, Isaac said, “Not long after
Ladi finished her secondary school education, she became pregnant for
Kazeem in 2011, and moved into Kazeem’s house. The pregnancy produced a
baby girl. Unfortunately, the baby died shortly after her first
birthday. Kazeem married another wife in 2011 who also moved into the
house with them, that was the beginning of Ladi’s travail.
“Because of the arrival of the new wife, Ladi’s marriage with Kazeem
suffered terrible blows as the new wife was always alleging that Ladi
was bewitching her. She raised the alarm that Ladi was the reason she
was unable to conceive, and alleged that Ladi had been visiting a
neighbouring community to fight her spiritually.
“The second wife was also said to have alleged that the sudden
disappearance of her clothes and other house hold items was a product of
Ladi’s spiritual attack; a development that made Kazeem send Ladi away
to our family house. Few months after, Kazeem approached Ladi to return
to the house. This time around, we turned it down.
“ Even, our uncle frowned at it, and told Kazeem to prepare for
marriage rites before he could get her back to his house. His position
was hinged on the fact that Ladi was subjected to such maltreatment
because there was no proper marriage between them. Kazeem promised to
perform the marriage rites. In the interim, he rented a house, for her.
However, few months after, Kazeem recanted and said he was no longer
interested in the marriage.
“ I gave money to Ladi which she used to start the business of
selling provision in the market in day time and, in the evening, retired
to her street corner, Bishop Junction, selling fruits. In few months,
she was able to raise fund and was already planning to seek admission to
the university. It was at this Bishop Junction that Kazeem approached
her and demanded that she pack out of the house he rented for her, and
threatened to deal with her.
“ He said he was going to recreate her and make her ugly, that, it
was because men were still looking at her that made her think she was
pretty, and that if she fails to move out from the house, he would deal
with her and destroy her beauty.
“ Kazeem also approached the landlady he rented the house from,
urging her to send Ladi packing.
The landlady informed him that she
could not send her away on the grounds that she had been able to renew
the house rent on her own. Kazeem stormed out of the building but not
before telling the landlady to expect him back in a manner she will
never forget.
“Two weeks later, being March 19, it happened. It was around midnight
when my sister was sleeping at home with her niece. Because of the
heat, she decided to open her door; after all, some occupants of the
building were also sleeping outside. She said she was woken up by the
sound of her noise struggling with a man beside her on the bed. She saw
my niece struggling with him.
“ My sister told us that she saw Kazeem holding a container in his
hand. According to her, immediately she saw him, she began to scream his
name but, before her shout could attract people, he had already poured
the content on her. She further told us that she immediately felt as if
her body was set on fire. She was unconscious when she was taken to the
village cottage clinic. The niece was also affected on the head as the
acid poured on her.
“It was from the hospital that she was referred to the Federal
Medical Centre, Lokoja where she spent one month at the emergency ward
before she was transferred to the theatre for her first surgery and now
lies in critical condition at the female surgical ward.”