Stakeholders Demand Justice For Deaf Accident Survivor Abandoned By Roadside For Four Days In Osogbo

Stakeholders in Osun State have called for urgent action and accountability after a young deaf man with both legs broken was abandoned by the roadside for about four days in Osogbo, the state capital.

The victim was reportedly knocked down by a vehicle driven by a woman who claimed to be a police officer around the Stadium area.

The driver allegedly invited an ambulance, but instead of taking him to a hospital, the ambulance crew reportedly dumped him a few metres from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps headquarters at Onibueja, leaving him without food, water, shelter or medical attention.

A radio station owner in Osun State, Adedayo Oderinu, raised the alarm in a Facebook post and on his radio programme.

Oderinu said the victim’s deafness compounded his ordeal as he could not speak or provide information about himself or his family.

“I have a major problem on my hands and I am unsure of how to proceed. The victim, a deaf young man, had both his legs broken in the accident, but is unable to give details due to his disability,” Oderinu wrote.

Oderinu lamented that the ongoing strike by public hospital workers in the state had made it difficult to secure urgent medical attention for the victim. He warned that the prolonged absence of care could cost the young man the use of his legs.

“As we speak, the guy is still there, after about four days without food, shelter, or water, and left to a very harsh fate,” he added. “If we get him into any hospital, the fact that he has spent so much time without care may mean he has lost the use of those legs. If the legs are amputated, how does he survive?”

In a subsequent update on Wednesday night, Oderinu disclosed that the victim had finally been moved from the roadside with the assistance of the police. “We finally got him moved from there with the help of the Police. Now, we hope we can get him into a government hospital,” he said.

Residents and stakeholders have called on the Osun State Ministry of Social Needs, the Bureau of Persons with Disabilities, the Ministry of Health, the NSCDC and the state Police Command to intervene urgently.

One resident, Odebode Isaiah Abisola, appealed to the Executive Secretary of the Osun State Bureau of Persons with Disabilities, Ayobami Oyetunde, and the NSCDC Disability Desk Officer to ensure the victim receives immediate medical attention and necessary support.

“Beyond medical care, he needs protection, rehabilitation and long-term assistance. Please, let us not allow him to suffer or lose his life through neglect. His disability should never be a reason to abandon him. He deserves care, dignity and justice,” Abisola said.

Stakeholders also demanded an investigation into the alleged conduct of the driver and the ambulance crew accused of abandoning the accident victim, insisting that those found culpable should be held accountable.

They called for immediate emergency medical care, including the option of transferring the victim to a private hospital at government expense while the public hospital strike persists, as well as feeding, temporary shelter, sign-language interpretation and efforts to establish his identity and trace his family.

The incident has renewed concerns about the treatment of Persons with Disabilities in Osun State and across Nigeria, particularly their vulnerability to neglect, discrimination and denial of access to essential services.