Geoffrey Anyanwu, Enugu
Barely one week after arraigning the Ozougwu couple in court for dehumanizing their 10-year-old house help, the Enugu State Police Command arrested another couple for abusing and assaulting their 12-year-old daughter.
The latest child abuse culprit, Mr. Effiok Umo and his wife, Nnenna Umo, both of Okwojo Ngwo in Udi local government area of the state, according to the police, also inflicted bodily harm on the victim, Mercy Umo.
Consequently the state Commissioner of Police, Ahmad AbdurRahman, has vowed to prosecute the suspects and warned parents and guardians to desist from tormenting and brutalizing children, as those caught would not be spared.
In a statement yesterday, police public relations officer in the state, Daniel Ndukwe, said the arrest of Mr. and Mrs. Umo was sequel to information received by the Commissioner of Police from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Enugu on Sunday and his consequent directive to the Divisional Police Officer, 9th Mile Police Station, to ensure the arrest and prosecution of the culprits.
Ndukwe said: “Preliminary investigation shows that the couple are used to abusing and assaulting the child for little or no justifiable reasons by using objects, such as sticks, electric wires, heels of shoes and so on to mercilessly flog, hit and/or beat her up.
“The height of it happened on 10/07/2020 at about 2230hrs when the wife, who is the child’s stepmother, abused and assaulted her to the extent of inflicting her bodily harm on the excuse that she dozed off while slicing onions required for food being prepared the said night. This led to neighbours, who have found their act of inhuman treatment of the child unbearable, reporting the matter to the police through National Human Rights Commission.”
The police image maker further said that while frowning at the unbecoming occurrence of acts of child abuse, assault and inflicting of grievous bodily harm on children in the state, the commissioner has vowed to prosecute the suspects to serve as deterrent to parents/guardians, who intend or have been committing such inhuman acts that infringes upon the personality and fundamental human rights of children, especially susceptible ones.
He therefore, warned parents and guardians to desist from maltreating their children and wards “at slightest provocation, but instead exercise due caution while punishing them for acts of wrongdoing to avoid causing them bodily harms and/or lifetime physical and psychological trauma.”