Mentally Challenged Family Of Five In Cross River State Who Went Viral Experience Transformation
The story of a mentally challenged family of five roaming the streets of Ogoja in Cross river state went viral months ago after a National youth service corp (NYSC) member, Progress Oberiko who had seen the family a couple of times and was fascinated by their command of the English language and sense of family took to her Facebook page to share her thoughts and ask for public help for the family.
The Cross River Government took up the case in partnership with the Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar, to provide succour to the family later identified as the ogar’s following intense search and rescue.
According to his wife, Mr. Ben and his wife lost their means of livelihood about the same time six years ago while still resident in Abuja with their two kids, and what followed was a mental disorder leading to the Mr. Ben relocating himself and his wife to his country home in Ogoja where he opted to stay in a shanty rather than his father’s house.
His family rescued his first set of kids from him when he started showing signs of this disorder, and six years of roaming the streets of Ogoja produced the three kids he was rescued with.
Doctors confirmed Mr. Ben to be suffering from a mental disorder, while his wife is only having the ‘folie a deux’ syndrome as a result of her husband’s ideation. The children, two girls and a boy, are in very stable condition and are responding to treatment very well.
The Honorable Commissioner for Health, Dr. Inyang Asibong, said the erstwhile mentally deranged family are in stable condition and are respondting well to treatment. The family will be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the society with continuous medical care and social welfare, she concluded.
Meanwhile the Honorable Commissioner for Women Affairs in the State, Mrs. Stella Odey, highligted that the family are also being offered some psycho-Social support in addition to the Medical Care already being provided by the State Government. While her counterpart from the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Social Welfare, Mr. Oliver Orok, noted that the State Government had already provided feeding and accommodation to the couple with adequate medical scare.
The Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Health, Dr. Joseph Bassey, asserted that the State Government are partnering with Federal Neuro Psychiatric Hospital to ensure the family receive all the medical services they require.
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