Lepers at the Iberekodo Colony in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have begged Nigerians to help them in raising their children, saying they have succumbed to fate.

The lepers said they want their children to grow and receive the necessary education like everyone else in the society, but their health condition had put them in a precarious situation.

Speaking, the Secretary of the colony, Folorunso Lukman, advocated for the support of the masses and the civil society groups to better the lives of their children, pleading “please in God’s name, help our children.”

Lukman said that “our present situation has frustrated some of our children out of school,” adding that those who learn trades do not have the financial strength to set up their shops or buy the needed tools.

“Please, we didn’t bargain for this but it happened. We have accepted our fate. We haven’t failed until we cannot train our own children,” he said.

Also, the Chairman of the colony, Jimoh Ahmed begged for soft loans to help the inmates who can still run petty businesses.

Ahmed expressed fear over the porosity of the colony, begging for solar-powered streetlights to illuminate the colony and scare away people who may want to infiltrate the vicinity, as the colony is now surrounded by residential buildings.

The lepers spoke today while they were visited by a non-governmental organisation, Jaw Jaw Africa.

The convener of the group, Victor Eniola-Mark, requested data of the out-of-school pupils, promising to look into some of their pressing needs.