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On Tuesday, medical officers battled to save the life of Aliyah Masaku at the Emergency Ward of the Ikorodu General Hospital, Lagos State, as her painful cry rented the air. She was attacked by three giant Alsatian dogs belonging to her father’s landlord.
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Aside damaging an eye and removing a tooth, the dogs inflicted multiple injuries on Aliyah during the attack which lasted for about two hours. A medical official at the general hospital, said Aliyah might need a plastic surgery to regain the use of the affected eye.
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A tooth was removed by the dogs, while the other teeth were seriously affected. She has multiple lacerations in her face, legs, arms and other parts. It was learnt that Aliyah’s father, Wasiu, a vulcaniser, was in charge of feeding the dogs after their owner travelled to London.
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He had reportedly gone to get the dogs’ feed on Monday and left Aliyah in the house. One of the dogs, identified as Rover, however, allegedly broke loose from the kennel and entered into Wasiu’s apartment.
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The dog reportedly dragged her from the house to the backyard, where two other dogs joined in attacking her. Residents said the attack lasted for about two hours, adding that they could do nothing because the fence of the house was high and there were many dogs at the main gate.
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Chaos broke out around 11pm when some hoodlums invaded the house with sticks and cutlass, threatening to burn down the house. The men vandalised some property on the premises before killing Rover, saying the dog cannot live within the same neighbourhood with them.
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The residents urged the state government to take away the dogs from the area, saying they constituted nuisance and threats to their lives. The owner of the dogs, Alhaji Abdul-Akeem Sulaimon, however, said he could not take responsibility for the attack since he had already handed over the dogs to Wasiu.
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A delegation from the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender, which visited the house and the hospital, said the state government would remove the dogs from the house to forestall a recurrence. Crdt: Punchng
