Man chops off grandson’s leg for refusal to abandon school for farming
The whole township of Nyamebekyere was thrown into a state of shock when a grandfather allegedly chopped off the leg of his 12-year-old grandson over his refusal to abandon school and his dream of becoming a medical doctor and join him in farming.
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Essorbilla Azure, 48, who is currently in the custody of the Enchi District Police Command, after inflicting wounds on his grandson’s right leg and cutting the bone into two, used a kitchen stool to break the left leg to prevent the child from walking to school.
Speaking to The Mirror, the Enchi District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police (Supt) Raymond Kofi Erzuah, said the grandfather, after the act, then dragged the boy with the leg dangling and locked him in a room for a week.
He said the right leg of the boy, who is a class two pupil of the Nyamebekyere District Authority Primary School, became badly infected and difficult for the medical team to save so was amputated on Wednesday, May 3, 2017.
Explaining what led to the anger, Supt Kofi Erzuah said the victim lived at Nyamebekyere Kwahu community near Enchi with his grandfather while his biological parents live in Bolgatanga.
“A fortnight ago, the grandfather, who is a farmer, called the boy and persuaded him to stop schooling and join him in the farming business since his efforts will end at the farm,” he said.
The district commander said the victim declined and appealed to the grandfather to allow him go to school, adding that he would help in the farm everyday after school and on weekends.
The grandfather, however, did not agree to the plea of the victim, and after several attempts to stop him from going to school failed, he did the unthinkable by severing the boy’s leg.
Cry for mercy
The suspect’s action, the district commander said, was informed by the fact that it was the victim’s legs that took him to and from school; therefore, if he chopped it off, he would not be able to attend school again.
The district commander explained further that on the day of the incident, residents mistook the victim’s cry for mercy as a normal fight between grandfather and grandson.
Help came too late
However, the commander said, although days passed without any sign of the grandson, residents were not able to question the grandfather, until some passers-by heard the endless cry of the boy last Monday and forced the door open.
“The rescuers were shocked to see the boy with a badly infected leg and another fractured one on the left. They carried him to the residence of the unit committee chairman in the community who then rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late,” he stated.
Supt Erzuah said upon reaching the hospital, the medical team said it was too late to salvage the situation.
The grandfather has since been arrested and the little boy is said to be responding to treatment.
Meanwhile, a message has been sent to the biological parents of the victim.