I Don’t Know How I Landed in Nigeria After 21 Years In US – Ondo Sexagenarian Laments

By: Ade Phillip

Joseph Ibironke, a 68-year-old man hailing from Ondo State, has revealed in an interview with The Punch that despite spending nine years in the United Kingdom and 21 years in the United States, he found himself back in Nigeria with no recollection of how it happened.

Married with four children from Igbara Oke, Ifedore Idanre Local Government Area, Ibironke expressed distress at not knowing the whereabouts of his family.

He attributed his predicament to a spiritual attack, recounting a period of residing under a bridge in Oshodi, Lagos, before receiving assistance.

“My wife (his Texan wife) told me that one midnight after making love together and we slept, I started barking like a dog, and that I was foaming in my mouth. She told me that she was scared, called for help and an ambulance was called and they rushed me to a hospital in California.”

“I was there for 14 months and the doctors couldn’t detect what was wrong with me. Nigerians over there (in the US) who saw me and my condition said it was a spiritual attack and advised that I be taken back to Nigeria for treatment,” he narrated

He added, “My family in Nigeria was called and it was arranged that I be taken to Nigeria. My elder brother, Williams, and his first son, Kayode Ibironke, whom I sponsored throughout his education, both received me at the airport (in Nigeria) and took me to the psychiatric hospital in Sabo Yaba, where I was abandoned.”

Ibironke shared his journey through a psychiatric hospital, Kirikiri Correctional Service, and the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

Following his time at Kirikiri, the church provided treatment, clothing, and nourishment before returning him to the psychiatric hospital. Despite these efforts, he found himself residing under a bridge in Oshodi, where assistance came from the police.

Subsequently, he was taken to Pakoto Prayer Mountain in Ifo, under the guidance of Prophet Ezekiel Oladeinde, leading to a partial recovery. It was only after his rehabilitation at Pakoto that he realized he was back in Nigeria.