Residents of Oladejo Community Lane, Oko-Oba, Agege, Lagos have expressed anxiety over a nonagenarian woman, who was said to have been pushed out to the street.
According to PUNCH Metro learnt that the woman, popularly called Iya Ijesha, was sent out of the house because she allegedly had “unusual spiritual power.”
The residents said for about two weeks, Iya Ijesha, who was in her 90s, had been sleeping under trees, in front of shops and other odd places.
When our correspondent visited the area on Thursday, the old woman was seen walking aimlessly on the street with a nylon bag containing rags and bottles, begging for alms from passersby.
Our correspondent also observed how some shop owners took her from the road, sat her down and fed her.
The residents, many of whom pleaded anonymity, told PUNCH Metro that the old woman was sent out of the house by her son when the child of a tenant died from a sickness and everybody allegedly concluded that the old woman’s “spiritual power” was the cause of the death.
However, residents explained that the deceased was a sickle-cell anaemia carrier.
Despite her old age, Iya Ijesha, who identified herself simply as Florence, told our correspondent that she was formerly staying in her son’s house, but was sent out about two weeks ago because the son and the tenants claimed she had spiritual power.
She said, “I am from Oke-Isa Street, Ilesha, Osun State. I have two children. He is my only son. I was formerly staying in his house until two weeks ago when he sent me out. He said since I had bad spiritual power, I should not live with him again. I want to die, but death has not come. My son said I was the one who killed the child of a tenant in the house. The tenant also beat me up.
“Some shop owners on the street take care of me. I sleep wherever the night meets me. He has said I should not return to his house. I am tired of this Lagos. I want to go back home.”
A landlord in the area, who begged for anonymity, said the community development association had called the son, who is also a landlord on the street, to bring the woman to his house or take her back to Ilesha. He added that the woman’s son had remained adamant, claiming that she deserved to sleep only on the street.
A shop owner, who idenitifed herself as Mama Yusuf, added that she and her friends had been feeding the old woman and had been scolded by the landlord’s son for doing so.
When our correspondent got to the house of the woman’s son, identified simply as Olamiju, he denied sending his mother out of the house.
He said, “Nobody sent her out of the house. She just left. Besides, nobody called her any bad name; I don’t have time to answer you on any other things. Go and get further information from whoever has called you to come here.”
Other tenants in the house also declined to comment on the allegations raised by the residents.
However, on Sunday, it was learnt that the woman had been taken in by the son and had not been seen since PUNCH Metro spoke with the son.
It was also gathered that some residents had been arrested by the policemen from Area G Command, Ogba, for allegedly alerting PUNCH Metro to Iya Ijesha’s predicament.
The deputy spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Lelma Kolle, said two residents were arrested following a petition by Olamiju that they were disturbing his peace.
He said, “The men have been released on bail. But investigation into the matter is still ongoing.”
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