Joseph Ibironke, a 68-year-old man who hails from Ondo State, has revealed that despite spending nine years in the United Kingdom (US) and 21 years in the United States, he found himself inexplicably back in Nigeria.
He shared this in an exclusive interview with Saturday Punch.
Ibironke, a resident of Igbara Oke in Ifedore Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State, disclosed that he was married with four children but expressed distress over not knowing their current whereabouts.
According to him, he experienced a spiritual attack and endured a period of homelessness under a bridge in Oshodi, Lagos, until he received 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.
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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.
Upon landing in Kirikiri, the church provided him with care, clothing, and sustenance before returning him to the psychiatric hospital. However, he later found himself residing under a bridge in Oshodi, where he received assistance from the police.
Subsequently, Ibironke was taken to Pakoto Prayer Mountain in Ifo under the guidance of Prophet Ezekiel Oladeinde, where he experienced a partial recovery. It was only after his recuperation at Pakoto that he became aware of being back in Nigeria.