We can reveal that the story trending online about the Calabar mechanic, James Emina, and his seven months old baby, purportedly abandoned to him by his wife, is not the full story, after further checks by www.calitown.com and Cornelius Ellah, Head of Department, Journalism and Media Studies in the University of Cross River State, UNICROSS, who made a Facebook post about the mechanic that instantly went viral.
While the mechanic and his daughter have received a massive show of love and affection from a huge online community, his wife has been the subject of heated on and offline debates, even receiving flak for supposedly being heartless to the point where she abandoned her child.
True Picture.
“Before I published the story on the baby and appealed for help for her, I had no idea that her mom has mental health challenges. I only got to know about it the next day when I went to deliver what was donated to me on her behalf”, Ella informed us.
He went on to add that, “I felt compelled to ask the mechanic about the efforts he has made to reconcile with the baby’s mom. His response was the disclosure on his wife’s mental health challenges that caused her to leave him and the baby. According to him, he has been making vain efforts to bring her to Calabar for attention at the Psychiatric hospital. Now that he has funds, I believe that he will make more efforts to ensure that she receives proper medical attention. If she regains sanity, I truly hope that she will return to her husband and their baby.”
When we called Emina on 07082925035, he confirmed to www.calitown.com that his wife was mentally challenged. Asked if he knew her present location, “she is in Mkpat Enim, Akwa Ibom State”, he told us.
“If you people can help me, I can bring her to the Psychiatric Hospital, Calabar, if she receives care she can recover and be able to help me take care of our child instead of constantly carrying her to the mechanic workshop where I work”, he concluded.
