The panellists on News Central’s Jasiri have strongly condemned what they described as continuing discrimination against individuals, especially children with special needs, following a viral incident involving a man allegedly denied entry into Ilorin Emirates Mall because of his daughter’s physical appearance.
Speaking during Wednesday’s edition of Jasiri, the commentators decried societal insensitivity toward people with disabilities, especially children.
“So this is his daughter who was born, I think there’s a disorder, she’s smaller than she should be at this age and then it affects the shape of the head as well,” one of the Jasiri ladies said. “And he was inside, I believe he was trying to get inside or had actually been inside and was asked to leave… apparently they told him he couldn’t enter because of how his daughter looked.”
The panellists emphasised the importance of empathy and protection for children with special needs. “Children are almost like sacrosanct to me. You must protect them at all costs,” one contributor stressed. “Children shouldn’t carry the sins of their fathers. Children are children.”
Another speaker noted the societal failure to practice kindness: “If you talk to a lot of older people… what’s the advice you give younger people? You keep hearing them say, be kind to one another. Be kind. And I don’t think we are kind enough.”
They also highlighted the deep-rooted stigma surrounding disability in Nigeria. “There’s also that shame of disability because most people that have disabled kids sometimes leave them at home in 2025,” one said. “People should bring out these children, let them experience society.”
The conversation extended to infrastructural challenges, especially in urban centres like Lagos. “When you go to banks, the ramps are not… how do you get inside the cubicles? Houses don’t have this thing. There’s no accommodating system for them.”
Addressing the controversy directly, the Jasiri team revealed that Ilorin Emirates Mall has denied the allegations. “They said that ‘we dismiss this allegation and misleading information circulating in the social media. This allegation is not only untrue, but also malicious in an attempt to discredit the Ilorin Emirates Mall.’”
The mall reportedly released CCTV footage to back its claim. “A review of our CCTV footage shows that Mr. Falorenso Badmas entered the mall with his child without harassment or intimidation from anyone,” the mall stated.
Still, questions remain. As one panellist observed while reviewing the footage: “You see him going to sort of like maybe not customer service, but like a help desk. And even as he’s walking, there’s a bit… you can see a bit of agitation. So there’s going to still be more explanations to be made.”
