A four-year-old identified as Omonigho Abraham is currently battling for his life at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja,  following an unexpected encounter with two savage dogs last Thursday, the Punch reports.

Omonigho had his scalp eaten by the two dogs and dragged across Adegboyega Street, Akesan Estate, in the Igando area of Lagos.

The dogs didn’t stop there, they further chewed the skin and exposed the victim’s skull during the attack. The dogs dragged him through his parents’ compound for more than one hour while policemen and sympathizers watched helplessly at the entrance of the house for fear of being attacked by the savage dogs. No fewer than seven policemen from the Igando Police Station reportedly stood at the gate, confused.

The immediate elder brother of the victim, seven-year-old Osemudiamen, who witnessed the incident said, “We were riding a bicycle in the compound when the big dogs ─ Jack and Gadaffi ─ started barking at us. Later, they moved towards us.

“My elder brother and I quickly ran upstairs and locked the door while Omo (Omonigho), who could not run fast, was left behind.

“When he got to the door, he knocked that we should open for him and as we did, one of the dogs forced his way into the house with him. We all ran out. Bobby jumped down from upstairs and I also jumped. But Omo could not jump, so the dog attacked him. The other dog also joined in the attack and there was nothing we could do.”

Another eye witness also said, “The police came, but said there was nothing they could do. The dogs were growling as they ate the child alive and that sent fear into everyone. Nobody could move inside to challenge the dogs. Everybody was just shouting in confusion and wielding sticks.”

The victim’s mother, Mrs. Helen Abraham, who was away when the incident happened, said, “When I got there, I met a crowd. They asked me not to go inside, but I refused to listen to them. One of the dogs emerged from the corridor with blood stains in its mouth. I ran inside. The other dog, on sighting me, pounced, but I fought back. It later ran away. I called on people who joined me to take him to a hospital.

“This has been a nightmare I want to wake up from.”

The police were said to have arrested the dogs and their owner, – one Stanley Wesley.

Confirming the arrest, the Police spokesperson, Lagos State Command, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said the police were the ones that actually rescued the victim.

“I can confirm to you that on September 25, at about 5.40pm, dogs belonging to one Stanley Wesley attacked and harmed a four-year-old boy and the matter was reported at the Igando Police Division.

“The report from the Divisional Police Officer indicated that the dogs were being kept to undergo some tests, while their owner had been arrested. The report that the police did not do anything is not true.”