After having his manhood amputated by a neighbour, 12-year-old Ayuba
Halilu and his parents have to choose between two options: allow Ayuba
to remain a male without manhood or undergo sex change to become female.
The
story of 12-year-old Ayuba Halilu of Mararraban Liman Katagum village
in Bauchi Local Government Area of Bauchi State is a pathetic one. Being
the easy going boy his fellow villagers say he is, he agreed to
accompany his neighbour Tukur Iliyasu to a nearby bush to fetch
firewood.
Unknown to young Ayuba, however, Tukur had a sinister
plan. In their accounts of the incident, the villagers said when Tukur
and Ayuba reached the bush, the former over powered the latter and cut
off his manhood together with testis as well as cut his neck and stomach
with knife. Ayuba was left unconscious in the pool of his own blood.
He
was later rescued by the police and some good Samaritans who took him
to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital Bauchi. He was later
transferred to the Federal Medical Center, Gombe for further medical
attention.
Meanwhile, Tukur fled the village to an unknown destination and till date no one knows his whereabouts.
Police Public Relations Officer ASP Hassan Mohammed Auyo said “the prime suspect (Tukur) is still at large.”
Investigations
by Weekly Trust revealed that parents of the prime suspect had sold
their only house in Mararraban Liman Katagum, for fear of the unknown,
and left to a destination no one knows, making it difficult to apprehend
the suspect.
Weekly Trust gathered that “when the boy returned
from Federal Medical Center, Gombe, his parents through the assistance
of Governor Isa Yuguda’s aide wrote a letter informing the state
government of their plight. Yuguda directed the State Commissioner for
Health Dr. Sani Malami to find out the boy’s condition and advise him
accordingly.
Dr. Malami also donated N200,000 to the family on
behalf of Governor Isa Yuguda and announced to the governor’s pledge to
pick up all medical expenses incurred in the course of treating the boy
and bring the culprit to book. Yuguda eventually paid a personal visit
to the boy.
However, Weekly Trust gathered that Ayuba’s trouble
took another dimension shortly after Yuguda’s visit as disagreement
ensued between the parents of the boy and the officials of the Bauchi
State Ministry of Health. Ayuba was also taken to the University of
Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.
Ayuba’s parents accused the
officials of the Ministry of Health of not taking the treatment of the
little boy seriously. They said the officials supposed to take their
full responsibility even if it means taking their boy outside the
country for treatment.
The parents alleged that they had to borrow
money before they completed the last 27 days in the University of
Maiduguri Teaching Hospital because the N400,000 given to them by the
state Health Commissioner was exhausted during test and investigations
in the teaching hospital.
They also said that the initial N200,
000 given to them by the government was used to settle the debt on the
treatment of the boy at Gombe Federal Medical Center. But the
commissioner said “the parents of the boy were ungrateful to the
government, because he has to force them to take the boy to the teaching
hospital in Maiduguri after they had collected the N400,000 and he
knows the consultant there he is capable to treat the little Ayuba.
“When
they reached Maiduguri, the parents of the boy said they were asked to
go to Maiduguri instead of taking them to abroad as directed by the
governor, and alleged that the parents of the boy refused to cooperate
with the consultant, and there is no way I can advise the government to
take you abroad after I know that we have good doctors who are capable
of treating the boy here in Nigeria.”
Weekly Trust obtained a
copy of the medical report for the treatment of the boy from the
Department of Surgery University of Maiduguri signed by Dr. Chubado
Tahir, Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. The report, which
was sent to the Bauchi State Health Commissioner, was titled “Re: Ayuba
Halilu Liman, 12 year old male Hosp; No 280941.”
It thanked the
commissioner for “referring the above 12-year-old boy who had his
genitalia amputated and throat cut following assault. On review, we
found the intelligent boy who was depressed otherwise fit, had total
amputation of the genitalia, including the scrotum and testes, the area
was completely healed and there was also a healed scar on the neck.”
The
report added that “basic investigations were done including hormonal
assay and the results were within normal limits except testosterone
which was the lower limit, psychiatrists invited to review him made a
diagnosis of depression which he was placed on antidepressants, absence
of the testes which is the primary source of male hormones enormously
complicates the treatment options, these include 1. Reconstructing Male
genitalia and placing him on testosterone replacement for life, this has
serious draw backs because of the need to use implant and the long term
complication from the use of testosterone, and also uncertainty of the
patient being able or willing to use it for life.”
According to
the report, the second option is “constructing a female genitalia and
basically gender reassignment, this is an easier option and less
challenging, however because of his age, he has developed a personality
and already has male friends. This is also a difficult option, I have
discussed with our pediatric surgeons in light of their experience in
managing cases of ambiguous genitalia and we agree on these options, all
of the above have been explained to the parents, I also sought the
opinion of Dr. Raja Sabaphaty, a world renown plastic and reconstructive
surgeon, in India who strongly believes the gender reassignment is the
best option, which ever option the parents decide, it is my belief
thatthey can get the best available treatment from Dr. Sabaphaty, if
that is the case I will be glad to write a referral.”
Father of
the boy Malam Halilu Liman told newsmen that “government was silent
sincewhen we came back from the University of Maiduguri Teaching
Hospital. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health invited us
to choose changing the boyfrom male to become female or to help him to
become male without manhood, and we chose to help the boy to become male
without manhood. But since then, we did nothear anything from the
officials of the state Ministry of Health.”
Malam Halilu appealed
to Governor Yuguda to intervene and save the life of the boy.
“He(Ayuba) hardly goes seven straight days without falling ill. We are
grateful for what the governor did to help bring the boy to his present
condition. We will appreciate it if more can be done.”
Dr. Malami
said if the parents of the boy choose the option of gender reassignment
for the boy to become female then they should go to the ministry and
inform him and he will take all the necessary action “because the best
option for the boy is to turn him to a female.” The commissioner said
they have asked religious scholars who cautioned against turning the boy
to a girl and reiterated the commitment of the ministry to assist the
boyas promised by Governor Yuguda.
Meanwhile, Bauchi State
Government has pledged to pay N2 million to anybody who will give useful
information that will lead to the arrest of the culprit that cut off
Ayuba’s manhood.
For now, young Ayuba’s fate hangs in the balance as people wait to see the next action his parents or government will take.
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