It is said that parenting is the world’s toughest job just as it can be said that many children wouldn’t consider their childhoods easy especially in their teenage years. Regardless, most children grow up in the care of parents who provide them a home, education and other necessities and are willing to do anything for their wellbeing. But the thought of a child having it so bad, that he knowingly, brutally, ends the lives of his parents who gave him a chance at life by bringing him into the world, drives home the harsh truth that problems abound.  

On December 4th, 2016, the Lagos State Police Command arrested Bakare Babalola Rotimi, Jr., 24, for allegedly killing his 59-year-old father, Bakare Babalola Rotimi, Sr., by stabbing him in their Magodo home. When his mother heard his father’s cry for help, she came running but was also stabbed. Her son thought he had killed them both and pulled a cloth over their bodies before cleaning up, taking his father’s phones and ATM cards to go to his father’s petrol station where he harassed the manager for money. The reason for his grouse with his parents was their insistence on his returning home from Ireland where it was reported that he had abandoned his education and had become a drug addict. He was transferred to the Homicide Section of the Lagos State CID in Panti for further interrogation.

Refusing to marry a wife for his son, Abdulhamid Abdullahi, 25, as he had done for his other children, is what cost Abdullahi Shuaibu his life in Kirikasamma, Jigawa State. The state police command spokesperson, SP Abdul Jinjiri said he went to his father at about 3am on February 5, 2017 armed with an axe and firewood which he used as weapons to kill his sleeping father. Abdullahi confessed, but said his intention was to kill his older brother. 

Oluwaseye Ayoola, 51, axed his 81-year-old mother, Dorcas Ayoola, to death, at their United Estate, Sangotedo, Ajah, Lagos State residence on February 7th, 2017, following an argument over his late sister’s N11million which was in her custody. Oluwaseye’s brother, Akintunde, who reported the case, said Oluwaseye demanded N500,000 from their mother which she refused. This resulted in the disagreement that ended her life. Following the murder, Oluwaseye fled but was later caught and detained. 

Kazeem Ayoola blamed his 85-year-old mother, Taibat Ayoola, for his misfortune and killed her on February 10, 2017, in Osun State because she also irritated him. He said she was the reason two of his three houses got burnt and he always felt like destroying things whenever she was around him. On the fateful day, his mother had gone to meet with him on his farm but Kazeem was irritated by her visit and decided to kill her so that he could have peace of mind. Justice Habibat Basiru ordered that he be remanded in prison and adjourned the case.

Sixty-two-year-old Janet Ogah was on March 9, 2017, hacked to death at her restaurant on Lafenwa-Itele Road, Aparadija, Ogun State, by her son, Emmanuel, who said she was in the habit of insulting and disgracing him in the presence of her apprentices and that he was frustrated into taking her life. Emmanuel’s brother said the medical doctor who is a 2007 graduate of the Ahmadu Bello Univeristy, Zaria, had been receiving treatment for mental illness at the Psychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos, since 2014 where he was also doing his housemanship. He had returned home from Jigawa State where his was undergoing national youth service the day before the incidence.

On March 11, in Enugu State, Chidubem Obelue, 21, stabbed his father Pastor Simeon Obelue 59, for advising him to shun cultism. After storming out of the house, he returned and lay ambush for his unsuspecting father late at night. The quinquagenarian died three days after.

Gideon Segun, 30, was arrested by the Osun State Police Command for allegedly killing his ex-wife’s 82-year-old grandfather, Pa Kayode Adejuwon, with a piece of firewood at midday on March 29. Investigations revealed that the deceased died from head injuries, following a misunderstanding between the two. The suspect was rescued from irate mob and was then arrested. The bricklayer, who hails from Makun Omi in Ijebu Waterside, Ogun State, but lives in Iperindo, said he was continuously taunted by his former in-laws for still remaining in the vicinity, after divorcing their daughter. He said it was in freeing himself from one of such situations that he mistakenly hit the octogenarian who hit his head on a table and died following that.  

On March 30th, 2016, Mrs. Cecelia Nwanjie’s younger son in his 20s, beheaded her, collected her blood and fled Umuchagu Osokwa, Osisioma Ngwa area of Abia State where he committed the crime. She had reportedly returned home from the farm at about 6.30pm and set out to make dinner for the family. Upon confirming that they were alone in the compound, he set to murder his widowed mother. 

Muntari Umar hired his friend, Saleh Abdullahi, to kill his mother, 70-year-old Hajiya Zainabu Abu in Kano, for refusing to permit him to lease out his farm. She was stabbed to death. Both suspects will be prosecuted once investigation is completed.

For Segun Odihiri, beheading her was the best way to deal with his 83-year-old mother, Maria Odihiri, for alerting the public while he was trying to rape his daughter. Trouble started on March 31st, when she began screaming upon catching him in the act.  A witness, Mr. Ekemeiren Ojekhugbo, said in a bid to hide his shame, Segun picked up a cutlass and cut off his mother’s head as his daughter ran to safety. Odihiri initially hid the body but was caught while trying to dispose of it. It was reported that he often threatened to kill her whenever they had a misunderstanding. 

Haruna Tijjani, 30, a drug addict, stabbed his mother Hadiza Ibrahim, 50, in Kano on April 7th, 2017. This was after death several threats he had made to her which neighbours thought was a joke. His father reported the case to the police, but Tijjani is still on the run.

Medical point of view

A psychiatrist at the Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State, Dr. Michael Amedu, said, “There are several reasons why children could kill their parents and mental-illness is one of them. There is what we call delusion whereby the person believes something against all odds. We all have beliefs which can be changed by a superior argument but for people who are delusional, their beliefs are not amenable.

“When there is somebody they consider an enemy, what they do is to get away from the person and when they can’t, they’re likely to eliminate him/her. Most people who are victims usually have a close relationship with the person who kills them.” 

Amedu said like substance abuse, even alcohol could precipitate things seen in the mentally-ill. He said, “People see or hear things that aren’t there and act on these. There are also other forms of aggression that are not due to substances; like schizophrenia which is what the layman calls ‘madness,’ as well as other abnormalities which we see in the psychiatric process.  

“Personality disorder could also lead to aggression, violence and crime where the person feels no remorse. These cases are treatable.”

The consultant psychiatrist also said, “In terms of parent-children relationship, there are cases where a parent kills the child like mothers who kill their children and may even kill themselves afterwards. This could be linked to depression and their feeling the need to protect their children from the hardships of life.” 

On whether such cases should all be treated as triggered by mental illness, he said, “It is the criminal justice system that should figure this out and decide which of these was intentional or accidental, although the knowledge of mental illness in the justice system is quite limited.

A consultant forensic psychiatrist, with expertise in law enforcement and criminal justice, Dr. Mary Madu, said there is an increased awareness that these incidences are attributable to mental illness, not spiritual problems. 

She said, “We treated one of the individuals in one of these cases for mental illness but his family felt it was a spiritual problem. It was covered up and he discontinued medication. The situation deteriorated to the point where he killed his mother. He was psychotic.” 

In terms of punitive measures for such people, she said, there are different processes which have to be followed and certain criteria, met before any of them can be sentenced - that is in a society where things works properly. 

Madu said, “This is where you talk about things like insanity plea having fulfilled specific criteria that would allow them not to be held criminally responsible for their actions. If they’re deemed not to be criminally responsible, then they’ll be confined to a psychiatric hospital. They won’t be sentenced.”

On how to tell that a person won’t exploit this wrongly, Madu said, “that’s where psychiatrists come in. The same way you can’t fake a heart disease to a cardiologist is the same way you can’t fake mental illness to a psychiatrist.  

“Nigeria’s law enforcement agencies are not equipped to detect mental illness. I notice that our prisons don’t have mental health awareness. Many people incarcerated need treatment which they don’t get in there. They don’t necessarily need incarceration or they need treatment before they’re incarcerated. 

“Forensic psychiatry is mainly mental illness and the law, where they come together. It’s necessary to determine factors like the individual’s competence to stand trial, fitness to plead. Is the individual aware that he has committed an offence? Does he know his rights? Did he conceive of the act and have the intention to kill? The irresistible impulse test which is for instance, if there were a policeman holding the person’s hand, would he have been able to stop himself from doing what he did? These are things we use in forensic psychiatry before we conclude and advise the court accordingly.” 

In one of the cases, she said, the individual is clearly ill and should have diminished responsibility. 

Speaking on the way forward, Amedu said, “We still deal with stigmatisation and so people don’t come forward for treatment. Also there is ignorance and people patronizing traditional healing homes or going for prayers where they are asked to fast and do deliverance. The fasting further complicates an already-sensitive issue. 

“Nigeria hasn’t done well with advancing mental health. Priority should be given to the situation as is done with HIV/AIDs that now emboldens those infected to come forward and speak up. They’re now being accepted in society. Mental illnesses should be given the same prominence so that people can seek the right help,” he said.

POSTED BY:OPUOMONI PRIYE

DATE:05/04/2017