It was childish carelessness taken too far. Call it infantile mischief, yet it is spot on. It was a melodrama on a birthday, such that before the children could finish saying happy birthday, acid found its way into a water throwing episode on the body of the 14-year-old celebrant.
Tragedy struck as 13-year-old boy, Moshood Yusuf, splashed his birthday celebrating female friend and neighbour, Victoria Emmanuel, 14 with acid, right in the middle of her birthday celebrations in Mafoluku, Lagos.
Indeed the new culture is to throw water on a birthday celebrant, but how undiluted acid became easily available for Moshood’s use in the birthday party celebration of an unsuspecting Victoria has not been a kind of fun puzzle to both families of Yusuf and Emmanuel. This question and more are being asked at No. 1, Baba Elegbe Street, Mafoluku, Oshodi Lagos State, South-west Nigeria, where the 14-year-old Victoria mischievously received a recreation by Moshood with acid, and thrown into throes of pain, and near death on a day that was supposed to be her happiest.
It happened on March 29, 2017, when Victoria was celebrating her birthday, and rather than get a water splash from her young male friend and neighbour, Moshood, she got an acid splash.
The incident took place at the Night Market area of Mafoluku, Oshodi, Lagos State. Trouble started for the young celebrant, when her male friend and neighbour, a 13-year-old, Moshood, bathed her with acid during the victim’s birthday celebration on March 29.
LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that while her peers were pouring the usual water on Victoria, Yusuf strayed away and entered a woman’s shop brought out a bottle, whose content he could not ascertain and emptied its content on Victoria’s body.
The hot liquid, raw acid, hit Victoria with a corroding pang and she let out loud screams for help that got the attention of adults.
Moshood explained that he thought it was Izal, the popular brand of disinfectant that he poured it on Victoria.
This moment of mischievousness turned Victoria’s No. 1, Baba Elegbe Street, Mafoluku residence a beehive as sympathizers swarmed to the place on learning of the incident which instantly corroded Victoria’s, and left her dying in pains.
Few days ago, Victoria was discharged from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where she was admitted, looking grotesque, and everything but whom she used to be.
Explaining to our correspondent how it all happened on Thursday, Victoria said she warned Yusuf not to pour the content of the bottle on her since they did not know what was inside but that the boy refused and emptied the liquid on her.
Moshood’s mother, Mrs. Ganiyat Yusuf, apologized for her son’s act adding that the incident was a mistake. She claimed that her son would not hurt anyone intentionally.
“It was just a mistake. In fact, Moshood also got burnt by the acid on his chest and leg too.
He didn’t know the content of the bottle and since they were jubilating, he poured it on her without knowing,” she said.
“It’s a regrettable mistake. But what we want is for peace to reign. We don’t want a situation where both families would start fighting over it or the two children becoming enemies,” Mrs Yusuf added.
There was no official police report as the two families are trying to settle the problem without involving the law of the land.