Baby battles for life after alleged animal bite in Lagos daycare

A one-year-old baby, Mikel Malachy, is fighting for survival after allegedly being bitten by an animal at school. The incident occurred at Dabrin Schools daycare in Ago Palace, in the Okota area of Lagos.

The baby sustained deep cuts and bruises on his face. The father, Malachy Ukwuegbu, said the school owner claimed that another child had brutalised his baby, but doctors confirmed that an animal bite caused the injuries.

Ukwuegbu’s wife was called to the school within two hours of the incident and was asked to meet them at the hospital. He said: “Upon her arrival, she discovered that the doctor had already given my baby three injections. When she asked, the doctor told her that the boy was given malaria and infection injections. We noticed that the baby was still unconscious, so we went to the hospital the next day.

“The doctor told us that the baby was short of blood and we needed to buy a pack of blood. The hospital later informed us that the infection was high, and we needed to take him to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) in Ebute Metta.

“The owner of the school refused to show up and she only spent N120,000, and I started paying all the bills. The school owner, whose house is five minutes away from mine, refused to come to our house to check on the baby.”

He added: “I reported the case to Zone 2, Lagos police. When they visited the hospital, they were told it was an animal bite. They couldn’t arrest the school owner, but they did have her nanny with them.

“The next day, when we returned to the police, their behaviour changed. They called me a day later to ask what we wanted. I requested that they bring in the doctor who administered three injections to my son. I also asked the school owner to provide the child who assaulted my son since she claimed it was another child who did it.

“I am highly concerned about my son’s well-being and want to find out what happened to him, as I have been unable to sleep due to constant worry. When The Guardian contacted the school owner, she stated that the matter was already in Zone 2 and that she was absent on the day of the incident.

The Zone 2 Public Relations Officer (PRO), Ayuba Tunni Umma, confirmed that the matter was investigated. Still, the boy’s parents were not pleased with how it was handled, so they came to the Zone.

She said, “We have done everything that needs to be done. We have written to FMC. What is left now is to charge the case in court, but before that, a test will be carried out to ascertain the baby’s health condition.

“The parents came here on Tuesday, September 10, and they complained about other signs they noticed while the baby was sleeping. So, we suggested a comprehensive check on the child so that we can add the result and charge the case in court.”