A Ghanaian father living in the United Kingdom has shared a harrowing account of how his family's misinterpretation of mental illness as a spiritual battle led to unspeakable tragedy, resulting in his wife's death and his own near-fatal stabbing at the hands of their son.
A Fatal Misunderstanding
Joshua Obenim survived a brutal assault that claimed the life of his wife and left his daughter injured. He now reveals how he stared death in the face during an attack perpetrated by his own 32-year-old son, Benjamin. The family's ordeal began weeks before the violence, when Benjamin started exhibiting alarming changes in behaviour.
He became withdrawn, displayed extreme religiosity, and spoke in a manner that deeply concerned his relatives. However, being a deeply religious household, the family concluded he was under a demonic siege. Instead of consulting medical professionals, they resorted to prolonged prayer sessions, believing they were engaged in spiritual warfare.
The Night of Horror
The situation reached its catastrophic peak when Joshua discovered Benjamin standing outside his daughter's bedroom door, clutching a knife. Trusting the son who usually obeyed him, Joshua attempted to calmly disarm him. "I stretched out my hand and said, 'Give me the knife.' He told me: 'Don’t try it,'" Joshua recalled.
Realising the immediate danger and that neighbours were absent, Joshua dashed across the street screaming for help. Benjamin pursued and attacked him before any assistance could arrive. "He cut my head. Blood was gushing out. Then he went into my belly," Joshua narrated of the vicious assault. Unbeknownst to him as he fought for his life, his wife and older daughter had already been attacked inside their home. His wife succumbed to her injuries before emergency services could get to the scene.
Diagnosis and a Plea for Awareness
Following his arrest, medical experts diagnosed Benjamin with schizophrenia. Joshua confessed he had never encountered the term before the tragedy. Reflecting with immense regret, he stated, "If I knew, I would have taken the initiative. Praying for someone doesn’t mean they don’t need medical attention. If I knew, I would have done both."
In a profound display of forgiveness amidst his grief, Joshua's heart remains with his son. "We’ve forgiven him. I just want him to forgive himself," he said. His story stands as a painful lesson on the critical need to recognise mental health conditions and seek appropriate intervention, blending faith with science for holistic care.
