The 20-month-old boy, Musa Murtala, who was brutalised by his step-mother in Gulu village, Rimin Gado Local Government Area, Kano State, is expected to return home next Monday. The boy’s mother, Malama Bilkisu Usman, who disclosed this in a phone interview yesterday, said that the lad had been discharged from hospital.

However, she said that they would stay in Abuja for observation before returning home. “We are staying in Abuja for some time before we will return to Kano,” she said. Bilkisu explained that they would stay in Abuja for follow-up appointment at the hospital where he was treated.

She commended the wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, for supporting them, saying that Musa has recovered. She, however, called on the authorities concerned to ensure that those who committed the offence were punished in order to serve as a deterrent. Musa was discharged from Ceder Crest Hospital in Abuja, Monday, where Mrs Buhari sponsored his treatment.

Also speaking on the issue, the Chairman of Ibrahim Magnet Foundation, Alhaji Ibrahim Magnet, who donated N1 million to the boy, said Musa would stay in his house in Abuja before returning to Kano. According to him, the boy would have to see an eye specialist to ensure that he recovered fully.

A friend of Magnet and President of West African Ventures, Mr. Jack Romance, also donated N1 million to the boy. The amount was used to buy a house for the boy in Kano. Musa was brutalised by his step-mother early last month. When the news of the act went viral, Mrs Buhari sponsored the boy’s treatment. He was immediately moved to Abuja from Murtala Muhammed Hospital, Kano.