Inside Lagos lepers’ colony

When 60-year-old Umar Abdullahi discovered many years ago that he had contracted leprosy, he was so afraid of transmitting the disease to his children that he immediately sent them away to Katsina to stay with his in-laws. Some years later, his son Kabiru, 28, came back to Lagos after his Arabic studies in Katsina. He […]

When 60-year-old Umar Abdullahi discovered many years ago that he had contracted leprosy, he was so afraid of transmitting the disease to his children that he immediately sent them away to Katsina to stay with his in-laws.

Some years later, his son Kabiru, 28, came back to Lagos after his Arabic studies in Katsina. He couldn’t complete his education, amidst dashing job prospects, when he also discovered that he had contracted leprosy.

Aside from his failing health, the students in his Arabic school had lots of problems with fights breaking out between the older students. So, one day, the school authority sent the older kids back home.

Umar and his son are now residents of a leper colony in the Alaba Rago area of Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.

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The slum where he resides along with other lepers including adult males, females and their children has become an eyesore.

During the day, they move to Okokomaiko, where they stay by the side of the road begging.

While the mothers stay by the roadside, the younger ones run after vehicles asking for help.

Once in a while, young ladies seeking spiritual help distribute food and water among the colony of lepers and beggars alike.

Interestingly, Kabiru is part of a curious group of second-generation lepers. Some of the lepers’ children have never been infected with leprosy, but remain trapped in an ostracised community because of the dreaded disease’s assault on their parents.

These groups of people are now suffering from all the social problems that affect the marginalised around the city of Lagos, even with all its promises of a better life for its citizens.

For these sets of people, surviving the harsh realities of life is something they must defeat daily.

The recent scarcity of premium motor spirit (PMS) has seen the community of lepers in Alaba Rago now resorting to drinking contaminated well water. This is aside from eating food, which they collect from refuse dumps.

While engaging a visiting team of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Communications students on Tuesday, one of the community leaders, Mr. Umar Abdullahi, revealed that a community well has been the major source of water for drinking, cooking and other chores since the hike of PMS and its recent scarcity.

Abdullahi, a retired teacher disclosed that the menace of drinking contaminated water has lingered for more than six months as the community is unable to purchase petrol to operate its community borehole plant.

“We have a borehole that was provided to us by an NGO but we don’t use it because of the financial cost to operate it. We still rely on the well to get water as we barely manage to contribute money to use the borehole once or twice a month.

“Our problems have become worse since 2024. We haven’t operated the borehole because of the cost of fuel and now there is scarcity. A lot of people are sick because everyone is drinking contaminated water.”

When quizzed about the community’s ability to survive amid the sanitation and water supply constraints, Abdullahi said that alum has been the ultimate purifier of the brownish well water, which serves the residents’ basic needs including; cooking and drinking.

“We use alum to refresh the water before drinking. The red water isn’t perfect but we put alum and wait for sometime before drinking the water,” he said.

Despite the absence of clean water and apparent sanitation chaos, Abdullahi believes that his community’s biggest problems are education (absence of schools), housing and vocation.

On his part, Kabiru claimed that they use alum to make the water pure before drinking or using it for cooking.

“We use alum to refresh the water before drinking. The red water isn’t perfect but we put alum and wait for some time before drinking the water. I don’t think the alum has any side effects on the human body because we have been doing it for over 10 years.

“We have a borehole but we don’t usually use it because of the financial cost to operate it. We still rely on the well to get water as we barely manage to contribute money to use the borehole once or twice a month” he said in Hausa.

Kabiru further explained that because of the fuel hike and scarcity, they haven’t used the borehole for over six months, adding that most people drink the well water that is contaminated.

Another member of the leper community, Rukayat Adamu explained that several years ago, they had a large farmland for cassava and sugarcane, but that the government reclaimed the place in 1988.

“Some years later, the government allowed the Alaba International Market management to use it as a dump site for waste and refuse. When the refuse heap becomes very large, they usually burn it and expose us to carbon. The farmland was very helpful years ago as we also grew potatoes and okra.

“Some of our residents are involved in recycling of scrap iron also known as ‘Iron Condemn’. They are members of an Association of Scrap Iron Dealers” she said.

Kabiru explained that the leper community had a space where they operated a small school for children who couldn’t go to government or private schools.

“But due to financial problems, we were unable to maintain it and it has become a dumpsite for waste. We will be very happy if the government can assist us in rebuilding the school to help us secure the future of our children. Presently, only about 30 per cent of our children are going to school and we are appealing to the government to come to assist us. We can provide land for more classes,” he added.

According to WASH experts, most of the pipes that supply water to several parts of Lagos via the Waterworks Corporation have expired and rusted, but the Alabarago WASH problems are immense as it doesn’t even have access to the problematic piped water.

Dr. Hope Orivri, a WASH Specialist and Communication for Development expert, describes the Alaba Rago community as one that requires speedy assistance from the Lagos State government and the opulent traders at the Alaba International market.

Orivri said that a disease outbreak from the neglected leper’s town will be a health risk for the busy Alaba International Market, the neighbouring Lagos State University (LASU), the populous Ojo/ Alaba region, and by extension, the entire Lagos State.

While highlighting the critical interplay between WASH facility provision and behavioural change in achieving public health outcomes, she emphasised the dire need for the Lagos State government to come to the aid of the Alabarago community.

According to her, Lagos has a very beautiful policy on WASH but the problem is a detachment from action.

Alaba Rago Lepers community is a small cluster of people with disabilities, primarily leprosy, living on the debris generated from Africa’s largest electronics marketplace, the Alaba International market.