Some artificial eyes

Authorities of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria, Kaduna State, on Thursday, promised to get artificial eyes for the three-year-old boy, Sadiq Usman, whose eyes were plucked by yet to be identified  persons.

Usman lost his two  eyes to  persons suspected to be ritualists in Zaria, Kaduna State, recently.

The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of ABUTH, Prof. Lawal Khalid told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Zaria that the hospital had the expertise to carry out the replacement of the eyes.

He said “this is not the first time such replacement is carried out in the hospital, as such, it is not something difficult.

“The artificial eyes cost less and it is accessible anytime the need arise,” he said.

On the preliminary surgery carried out on the boy at the hospital’s Ophthalmology Department, the hospital boss said that the victim was responding to treatment.

He explained that the surgery was aimed at reshaping the boy’s face as it was disfigured by the suspected ritualists in the process of removing the eyes by force.

He said that “in the long run, we will replace the eyes with artificial ones to interrupt any possible disease but the boy will no longer see because the sight is already gone.”

He said the artificial eyes would be changed periodically, commensurate to the size of the victim as he grew up.

Responding, the boy’s father, Malam Usman Usman, popularly called “Auta” thanked the public for the support and prayers.

He specifically thanked the Emir of Zazzau, Alhaji Shehu Idris, Sen. Shehu Sani (APC Kaduna Central) and Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State for supporting the family in the treatment of the boy.