Owner of dogs that killed five-year-old relocates them

The landlord, whose dogs killed a five-year-old girl, Aliyah Masaku, in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, has relocated them to the Sagamu area of Ogun State.  PUNCH Metro reports that the landlord, Alhaji Akeem Sulaimon, sent someone to remove the 15 dogs late Wednesday, before officials of the state government could get any chance of seizing them.   

Five-year-old girl, Aliyah Masaku was in the house on Monday when an Alsatian dog, identified as Rover, dragged her from the room to the backyard, where two other dogs joined in attacking her.  She was later rushed to the Ikorodu General Hospital from where she was transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, where she died on Wednesday.  The Director of the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender, Olubukola Salami, while saying the victim died due to negligence and greed, noted that the government would remove the dogs from the house.  But by Thursday when officials from the state Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Veterinary Services, visited the house, the kennels were empty.  An official said the house gate was open, but the premises empty. He said,     

“He sent some people to remove the dogs from the kennels late in the night yesterday (Wednesday). When he was called on the phone, he said since there was nobody to take care of the dogs again, he decided to move them somewhere else. He said the dogs were taken to Sagamu and didn’t give details.”  Punch reports that when they called Sulaimon, who is based in London, United Kingdom, on the telephone, he did not pick his calls.  The father of the victim, Wasiu, said Aliyah would be buried on Friday.    

 “The doctors at LASUTH called me to come for the corpse today (Thursday), but I told them I was trying to raise fund for the burial ground. We will bury her on Friday,” he said.  The OPD Director, Salami, said the owners of the dogs might be prosecuted, adding that Interpol would be involved. She said,      

“The father of the child has already paid a big price for his negligence, but the owner of the dogs cannot be allowed to escape the law. He may face manslaughter charges since he owned the dogs. We may have to involve Interpol to ensure his arrest.”  The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, urged the family of the victim to report to the police.