45-year-old man, Bashiru Olamilekan, who allegedly refused to pay his son’s N325, 000 bill and abandoned him in the hospital for seven months, was on Wednesday hauled up before an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court.

The accused, a bricklayer, who resides at 15, Babayemi Street, Alagbado, a suburb of Lagos, is being tried for breach of peace and refusing to pay his son’s bills.

Prosecutor Clifford Ogu told the court that the offences were committed between June 25, 2017 and January 2018 at Rem-Yem Hospital, Ijaiye, Lagos.
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Inspector Clifford Ogu said that the accused’s eight-year-old son was knocked down by a driver and was rushed to the hospital to revive him.

“Since then, the accused refused to show up in the hospital, leaving the son and his wife to fend for themselves.

“The driver that knocked down the boy gave the accused money but he refused to pay the bills, ” he said.

Ogu added that the accused son had been in the hospital since then and was discharged since September 2017.

“The hospital management wrote a petition against the accused and the accused was arrested. The hospital bill is N325, 000,” he said.

The offences violated Sections 166(d) and 321 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Section 166 (d) provides three months imprisonment, while Section 321 stipulates two years for offenders.

The accused, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Chief Magistrates Taiwo Akanni granted the accused a bail of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned the case until February 26.

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