Police for AIG Zone 16 Bayelsa State don begin investigate how one man die afta some pipo try to comot “mercury” from im hunchback for ten million naira.

Dis dey come afta men of one vigilante group, Onelga Security Peace and Advisory Committee (Ospac) for Ogba Egbema Ndoni local goment area for Rivers State arrest three persons, including a pastor, over di death of 24-year-old Lucky Wilson.

Tori be say Lucky die afta dem carry out operation to remove im hunchback.

Ospac Commander, Felix Nwaobakata tell BBC News Pidgin say dem arrest di suspects as dem try to runaway to Port Harcourt afta di Lucky mama raise alarm and report to dem say im dey miss.

How di incident happen?

Nwaobakata say di mama of Lucky come report to dem say since Lucky Wilson and im papa travel to Lagos, only di Papa na im don return and e no fit explain wetin happen to Lucky wey two of dem travel togeda.

Nwaobakata say as dem begin investigate, dem arrest one of di suspects wey be pastor of a new generation church near Omoku, and e tell dem say na Lucky Papa and Uncle naim allegedly hand Lucky over to am. Both di Lucky Papa and Uncle also dey police custody.

E say dem bring Lucky for surgical operation so dem fit extract ‘mercury’ from im hunchback.

“Di suspect say all of dem agree to do di surgical procedure and so contact one man for Abeokuta, Ogun State, wey promise to pay N10m for di ‘mercury’ wey dem go take from di victim hunchback.

E [allege] say di boy in question (Lucky) even came to meet and beg am say if dem fit comot di hunchback so im go dey normal make dem do so and help am as im wan dey like like a normal human being.

Di suspect say dem tell am say e fit no survive di procedure, but e say e go survive am and so dem fix a date to travel for di procedure.”

Nwaobakata say di suspect bin first contact one NGO for Owerri, Imo State, wey claim say dem fit extract di ‘mercury’ and pay five million naira.

E say di NGO later disappoint dem before dem approach anoda ‘contact’ for Abeokuta, Ogun State, wey offer to pay ten million naira but say di payment go be in two or three months’ time, and all of dem agree.

Di day dem travel for di surgery to Lagos before heading to Abeokuta, di victim papa hand over di boy to one of di suspects and di papa brother give dem N15,000 for transport.

Dem do di operation but in di end, di boy no make am as e die.

Di OSPAC Commander, Felix Nwaobakata say dem don hand over di three suspects to di Assistant Inspector General, Monitoring Unit, Zone 16, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, for further investigation and prosecution.

Police tok tok pesin for Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko confam di tori to BBC Pidgin and add say na AIG Zone 16 Bayelsa State dey handle di mata.

‘Hunchback no get any mercury’

"Hunchback na scoliosis wey mean say di spine bend somewia and e no get place wia pesin go find mercury or any chemicals inside" na so Dr Golden Owhonda, a public health physician tok.

Dr Owhonda wey be Director of Public Health, Rivers State Ministry of Health say dis kain ignorance wey don lead to di death of dis boy dey very sad and relevant authorities suppose arrest and prosecute di pipo wey dey responsible for manslaughter as na just wickedness.

Dr Owhonda add say mercury itself no dey go well wit di bodi becos na poison on its own, so dem no get any grounds to say dem wan comot Mercury or any oda tin from di hunch.

"Di spine of di pesin wey get hunch back dey curved naim make you dey see di hump becos e dey like sometin wey no fit stand on its own so e go gada dia.

Wetin dey cause hunchback?

According to Dr Owhonda, wetin dey cause hunchback fit be tumor or defects of birth or any oda cause wey cause weakens for di spine wey make am am bend to result to di hump wey be di hunchback.

"Oda times na mineral deficiency wey don make di bones to collapse on each oda like osteoporosis or osteomalasia as dis na tins wey fit make di bones slouch or to collapse on each oda to form hump, becos say di spine for dat area dey weak and e fit bend to di left or right wey be scoliosis or bend inwards wey be scifosis."

So all dis tin na di orthopaedic and neurologist as nerves de pass thru di spine.

Hunchback dey treatable

Dr Owhonda advise say any pesin wey get hunchback suppose go hospital make di ogbonge doctor - orthopaedic and neurologist examine dem and tell dem di kain treatment dem go neee.

Dis na becos some nerves dey pass thorough di spine, so na im make dem go sidon togeda see how dem go take treat am.

“Di orthopaedic and neurologist go examine di case and decide weda dem go fit operate and put implant to straighten am to make am beta so di pesin fit get back imsef im terms of rehabilitation or di pesin fit wear corset.

Sometimes a corset fit help to pull di pesin strait back on. So dis na tins dem fit do."

Dr Owhonda say di treatment go depend on wetin di doctors find and e dey start wit x-ray so dem fit see wetin dem dey deal wit.

E add say for any pesin to say e dey look for mercury or any oda tin for pesin wey get hunchback, dat one dey "criminal, unintelligent, ignorant, unacceptable amd dat pesin supposed dey charged for manslaughter."