By Desire Emmanuel
The Edo State government has rescued a mentally-challenged woman in her 60s, Madam Evbu Iyahen Eguasa, from a decrepit living condition in Benin City, the state capital and placed her in a rehabilitation home for proper care, treatment and eventual reintegration into society.
The woman was said to have once lived abroad where she had a child but following unexplained circumstances, she was deported to Nigeria without the child.
The rescue operation, carried out on Monday, July 13, followed information from some residents regarding how she has been living in the area in very dehumanising situation without any family member visiting her.
Acting on information received about the woman’s condition, the state government sent some officials to assess the situation at her residence along Upper Lawani Street, Benin City.
On arrival, the team discovered a building that had become almost uninhabitable. Neighbours explained that the woman had, over time, destroyed the windows, doors and other fittings in the house, allegedly selling them before sealing virtually all the openings with mud and sand.
Following a search of the premises, the team found the woman alone inside the building. Although she appeared physically active and communicated fluently in both English and Edo, she repeatedly rained curses on members of the team during the rescue operation.
Residents of the area further disclosed that she had gathered broken blocks from the portions of the building she demolished and used them to barricade the frontage of her house to prevent any intrusion.
However, a senior official in the team disclosed that the government would give adequate care, psychological support to the woman and ensure close monitoring in a rehabilitation facility to aid her recovery before being reintegrated into society.
Narrating the woman’s situation, her younger brother, Mr. Lugard Iyahen Eguasa, who was alerted when the officials got to the place, said his sister travelled to an unnamed foreign country several years ago where she gave birth to a daughter.
However, following circumstances he could not explain, she was deported to Nigeria without the child.
He added that after she landed in Lagos State, she became disoriented and was unable to find her way back to Benin City until an Edo-born police officer found her wandering around the airport.
The officer reportedly discovered a diary containing Mr. Eguasa’s telephone number, contacted him and facilitated her return home.
He disclosed that she was subsequently admitted to the Neuropsychiatric Hospital in Benin City, but the family could not sustain her treatment because of the high cost of medication and dwindling financial resources.
Mr. Eguasa further explained that although she owned the two-flat building where he lived, her deteriorating mental condition led to frequent threats against his children, forcing him and his family to relocate for their safety.
