Pastor Calls Out To Family Of Mentally Ill Man Who Have Abandoned Him

A cleric who has played a major role in rehabilitating a mentally ill man, known as John is crying out to John’s family members to come and get their relative so he can receive further medical help.

According to Punch, Enahoro, who resides in the Bayeku, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, told PUNCH Metro that efforts to get the family members of 35-year-old John to take him for medical help had proved abortive. He said he did not want to throw the Delta State indigene to the streets so that his condition would not worsen.

He said, “I had been seeing the man at the Ketu bus stop and I discovered that he had a mental problem. I sometimes gave him food and money but on July 1, 2015, I left my house at Ikorodu with some clothes which I intended to give him.

“When I saw him, I decided to also pray for him and after the prayers, I discovered he became calm. I took him to a medical centre where he was given treatment and he later slept. I could not take him directly to a psychiatric hospital because of lack of funds, so I took him home.”

He added that he later contacted the patient’s family members and they were able to identify him.

Enahoro, a pastor with the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, said John’s family after paying him a few visits, abandoned him, adding that he had been saddled with the burden of his upkeep.

“God used me to pray for him, but then, doctors also have a role to play for him to be mentally stable. His family members have been making all kinds of excuses and saying they do not have money with which to take him to a psychiatric hospital. I have been wondering if they have abandoned him and want me to continue to look after him. It is becoming unbearable for me.

“I have my own family and children that I have to take care of. I think the man needs urgent medical attention,” he added.

Enahoro, who claimed to have been taking care of mental patients since 1991, said he had no motive of profiting from the assistance he had rendered to 35-year-old John.

John’s sister, Rita, however, told PUNCH Metro that the family did not abandon him, saying the family had financial challenges.

She described the victim as a brilliant young man whose dreams were shattered by a strange illness.

She said, “John’s mental problem started about 13 years ago shortly after he finished secondary school and was preparing for his entrance examination into the university. We were living together at the time. I just discovered that he would not sleep at night and started misbehaving. Later, the problem worsened and he left the house and took to the streets. Our parents are dead. I am married, but jobless and my sister, who could have assisted, is a widow. She is struggling with her business.”

She added that after getting the news that John had become calm after Enahoro prayed for him, the family rushed there and saw his health condition had improved. She, however, said the family had not been able to do much because they did not have the funds. She called on the government and members of the public for assistance.