A few days after he got married, Gbenga Akinleye became paralysed. Nine years on, his health has not improved. He is crying out for help. DAMISI OJO presents his pathetic story
When Gbenga Akinleye, 34, got married to his heartthrob in 2005, he looked forward to a fruitful and happy married life with all the physical and emotional enjoyment that marriage brings.
But few days into this life long journey, precisely in the midst of his honeymoon tragedy struck changing the course of his life, turning the once strong, vibrant and energetic young man into a beggar on the streets of Akure, the Ondo State capital.
Akinleye was fit as a fiddle when he checked into a hotel at Ile Ife, Osun State, with his wife for what they thought and planned to be a memorable honeymoon, which unfortunately was not to be.
As husband and wife cuddled on the bed, a strange frog fell from the ceiling and he quickly got up to hit it and throw it out of the room and returned to his wife. But that natural reaction to a strange occurrence was to be the beginning of his problem since nine years and it has defied all solutions, medical or spiritual.
Akinleye in his own words said: ”When I saw the frog on the floor, I hit it with a stick and threw it out of the room. But shortly after, I suddenly became paralysed on the left side.
“It was exactly at the left side where I hit the frog that I was totally paralysed. My wife did not know what to do as she was extremely shocked.”
The situation consequently forced him to seek treatment at the state Specialists Hospital Akure, but was rejected because the doctors at the hospital could not diagnose what was wrong with him
In order to seek solution to his prolonged illness, Akinleye was taken to a herbalist in Ogun State by his relatives. The herbalist, who promised to cure the sickness, however, had his own hidden agenda. His joy was momentary when discovered that the herbalist wanted to use his semen for money rituals.
He said: “When I got to that place, I thought that is where the solution would come from. But the reverse was the case. The herbalist asked me whether I can make love to a woman.
“He asked a woman to come and meet me and rub my manhood which pressed me to a climax. The lady wanted to rub my manhood with a handkerchief which I rejected passionately.”
The young man was saved by his mother’s timely intervention. The old woman insisted that her son should be taken away from the herbalist to another place where she hoped help would come.
However, after several disappointments and seeming hopelessness, he received a major boost at a church in Akure where he sought spiritual deliverance. Though partly healed, Akinleye is more of a beggar today, now seeking alms on the streets of Akure.
He said: “I wouldn’t mind if well to do Nigerians can come to my aid, I am living on alms given to me by sympathetic Nigerians; I will appreciate if people can come to my aid to start a business of my own.
Akinleye said, when there is life, there is hope, believing in God that he could still overcome his present hurdles with the help of well-meaning Nigerians.
