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The Abia State Police Command has arrested one Mr. Uzoma Uwaeme for child abuse after a viral video showed his 13-year-old son tied with a rope, brutally flogged, stripped naked and left exposed under the sun.
The command spokesperson, DSP Maureen Chinaka, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Chinaka said operatives of Abayi Divisional Police Headquarters effected the arrest on the directive of the Commissioner of Police.
According to the police, the viral video circulating on social media depicted the boy “tied with a rope, brutally flogged, severely injured, stripped naked, and left exposed under the scorching sun.”
The suspect, a resident of Nwokocha Street, off Udeabara Road, Aba, was identified as the father of the 13-year-old victim.
The police said the boy’s mother allegedly left him and the father is remarried.
Chinaka said the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for discreet investigation while the suspect is currently in police custody.
She added that the victim has received medical attention, is in stable condition, and is currently under the protective custody of the Police.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Wilfred Olutokunbo Afolabi, described the act as “inhumane, barbaric, and a gross violation of the rights of the child.”
He reiterated the command’s zero tolerance for all forms of child abuse and domestic violence and assured that the suspect would be prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The command urged members of the public to report cases of abuse and criminality to the nearest police station or through the command’s dedicated lines.
