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From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The social media was recently on fire following a viral video of a 12-year-old Primary 5 pupil of World Bank Primary School, Owerri, Imo State, whose body was allegedly lacerated by a couple, Mrs. and Mrs. Uzoma Egemba, whom she lived with as maid.
Chikamso Ekeocha Jude, who hails from Mbieri, in neighbouring Mbaitoli Local Government Area of the state, had her buttocks, hands and legs scalded with hot metal. The young girl was in severe pain but she hid it from everybody and managed to come to school.
It took the prying eyes of Chikamso’s classmates to discover the burns on her body. They then alerted their teacher, Ijeoma Okafor, who immediately brought it to the attention of the headmistress after inquiring from the poor girl how she came about the injuries.
According to Chikamso, her “brother” Uzoma, who is married to Njideka, placed metal on fire and scalded parts of her body for riding their children’s bicycle. It was at that point that the video, which eventually went viral, was made. The circulation of the video of the incident on the social media drew the ire of people from within and outside the state, leading to the arrest of Uzoma, the alleged culprit, by the police.
When Daily Sun visited the World Bank Primary School, the headmistress, Mrs. Caroline Emengha, said the matter was already with the state government and the police.
She disclosed that it was Chikamso’s classmates who actually detected what happened and spilled the beans.
Emengha said: “Chikamso Ekeocha Jude is a Primary 5 pupil. In fact, it was her classmates who saw the burns on her body and reported to their mistress, who now called out Chikamso. After seeing burns on her hands and legs, she asked her to take off her uniform, where she discovered burns on her back and buttocks. And when asked of her offence, Chikamso said that her ‘brother’ did that to her because he saw her riding the bicycle of his children. We have reported the matter to the police who arrested Mr. Uzoma Egemba. So, the matter is now with the government.”
She further told Daily Sun that she learnt Chikamso had been discharged from hospital, while the police have charged the suspect to court.
The head teacher, however, admonished parents and guardians to always investigate the background of whoever they want to give out their children to, to avoid what happened to Chikamso.
Also, one of the male teachers in the school who spoke on the condition of anonymity, advised parents to stop giving out their children to people to train for them but rather bear the responsibility of training their children.
“This is why I have always advised parents to stop giving out their children to people to train for them. This man used metal objects placed on stove to inflict severe burns on different parts of this 12-year-old girl’s body for riding the bicycle of his children on Sunday. If he wasn’t a wicked fellow, he should have at least used common GV to pour on it, but he didn’t do that. That is extreme wickedness,” he stated.
When Daily Sun reached out to Chikamso’s mother, Mrs. Amarachi Jude Ekeocha, she denied that her family was related to the Egembas. In fact, she disclosed that she did not know them from Adam, but that it was one of her sisters who was contacted by one of her customers that the Egembas needed a maid.
The distressed woman, who insisted on justice for her daughter, further disclosed that she got to know about what happened to her daughter after she was contacted by one of her relations.
“It was one of my sisters who arranged for my daughter to start living with the Egembas through one of her customers. I live in the village while they are in Owerri. I want justice for my little daughter because what the man did to her is an act of wickedness for just riding the bicycle of his children,” Mrs. Jude said.
Meanwhile, Uzoma seems to be standing alone as his wife, Njideka, distanced herself from the incident. Denying being part of it, Njideka said she only got to know when she came back home penultimate Sunday.
But Mrs. Egemba, who said she is an executive member of the World Bank Market Association, did not say what she did after discovering her spouse’s cruelty to the poor girl.
Every effort by our reporter to know from the Imo State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Nkechi Ugwu, the actions being taken by the ministry to address the matter was futile, as she neither answered calls put to her cell phone nor replied SMS sent to her.
Regardless, the police have arraigned the suspect, Uzoma Egemba, before an Owerri Magistrate’s Court presided over by his P.O. Nnoromole, on a one-count charge of causing grievous harm.
The charge sheet reads: “That you, Egemba Uzoma, on June 26, 2022, at Area L, World Bank Housing Estate, in the Owerri Magisterial District, did unlawfully and without justification wound one Chikamso Ekeocha by giving her multiple deep wounds on her back, using a very hot frying spoon placed at a burning cooking gas and intentionally placed it on her back, which caused multiple maim on her back, got her disfigured and does grievous harm on her and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 332(1) of the Criminal Code, Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo State.”
