Nafisat Muhideen, the mother of the baby, mauled to death by two dogs at Zone E, Unity Estate, Halleluyah Area of Ido-Osun, Osun State, has said the animals attacked her on her way to buy drugs for the deceased who was from suffering catarrh.
The baby, named Mariam, was mauled to death by two dogs, said to have been let loose in a house facing the road that Nafisat had passed Wednesday afternoon.
A resident of the area, who preferred anonymity, during an interview, said before they attacked the nursing mother, the dogs, had been observed by some people who had earlier passed through the area standing near the gate, barking.
Narrating further how the incident happened, Nafisat, who said Mariam clocked five months on the day of the incident, said she was on her way to a medicine shop to buy drugs for her daughter who was struggling with catarrh.
She also said the dogs jumped on her from behind and forced out the baby, whom she strapped to her back before they mauled her till she died.
Nafisat said, “My baby had catarrh earlier and I contracted it from her. I went out carrying her on my back to get drugs for her and myself too, because I was having a headache.
“As I was walking towards where I would get the drugs, I heard a sound from behind and by the time I turned around to check, the dogs jumped on me from behind.
“They dragged the baby off my back and were mauling her. I ran around calling for help but no one was around to help rescue her. I threw stones at the dogs but they refused to leave the baby. They kept attacking her
“Later, some residents of the area showed up and attempted to get the baby from the dogs but they could not. The dogs did not leave her until they were killed. The remains of the baby facing the ground were retrieved from under the dogs.”
Meanwhile, Osun State Police Command has said the owner of the dogs involved in the incident has been arrested.
The command’s spokesperson, Yemisi Opalola, during an interview with our correspondent on Thursday, said the probe of the incident was still ongoing, assuring that justice would be served on the matter.
“We have arrested the owner of the dog. Investigation is still ongoing. We assure that justice will be served,” Opalola said.
