•How housewife battered maid with pestle, hot knife
From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Residents of Nkpor, Anambra State, and social media users are still in shock following the rescue of a nine-year-old girl, Idimmachukwu, from the hands of her guardian, who had been subjecting her to torture.
A concerned resident had seen Idimmachukwu along the street last weekend with her eyes swollen such that she could barely see anything, as she staggered with a bag of refuse given to her to dispose by her guardian.
With wounds all over her body, including cuts on her head, the man shared the video online after asking her questions and she disclosed that it was her aunt, known as Mama Ejima, that treated her that way, the latest being her punishment for allowing one of her babies to fall.
The video also showed the girl with swollen lips, disfigured arms and shoulders, bruised and swollen head, with different wounds all over her body.
The video went viral immediately, prompting the state’s ministry of women affairs and the police to activate their contacts, tracing the little girl and the subsequent arrest of the woman.
The suspected abuser, identified as Mrs Chinyere Ifesinachi, a 25-year-old mother of a set of twins, is in police net. Daily Sun gathered that she hails from Alor town, in Anambra State, but got married to an indigene of Enugu State, while both of them live in Anambra State.
The couple was said to have been delivered of a new set of twins, who Idimmachukwu was helping to look after before the ill treatment of the little girl was blown open.
When interrogated, Mrs. Ifesinachi admitted that she maltreated the girl because she threw one of her twin babies on the ground, which provoked her to beat the girl without mercy.
She confessed to have assaulted, tortured and battered the little girl with a pestle, cane, hot knife and other hard objects, leading to various injuries on her body.
She, however, pleaded for mercy, adding that she did not understand what came over her and why she went that far even as she blamed it on the Devil.
“Please, forgive me, it is the handiwork of the Devil. I don’t know what came over me, though I was very angry that time. I promise not to repeat this act anymore,” she said.
Parents of the child, in their separate comments, explained that their daughter left them in March this year to live with Aunty Chinyere Ifesinachi and her husband, because she recently gave birth to a set of twins. They said they sent their daughter to live with the couple out of sympathy, since the woman was finding it difficult to look after her new babies and also cope with her chores.
They, however, described what they saw in just less than two months that their daughter started living with the couple as very unfortunate.
It was also gathered that Mrs. Ifesinachi is a relative to Idimmachukwu’s mother, which made many people wonder how she could do such things to an underage girl, despite being her own sister’s daughter.
Commenting on the incident, the commissioner for women affairs, Ify Obinabo, who assured Idimmachukwu and her family of justice, said the little girl, who is now in hospital for medical attention, would not return to Ifesinachi’s family when she fully recovers.
While condemning the maltreatment as totally wrong and unacceptable, she went further to warn that anyone caught abusing any child in Anambra State must be made to face the full weight of the law, even as she appreciated everyone who contributed in one way or the other to the discovery and rescue of the child. She also advised citizens to raise the alarm anytime they noticed what was not going well in their areas.
The Anambra State Police Command, while confirming the incident and the arrest of the woman, said police operatives collaborated with the staff of Anambra State ministry of women and social evelopment who rescued the little girl at Nkpor by King of Glory road.
The command’s spokesperson, Ikenga Tochi, disclosed that the arrest was triggered following the trending video/public outcry of the residents of the area as Idimmachikwu was seen with different injuries all over her body allegedly perpetuated by her guardian, Ifesinachi.
“The child is currently receiving treatment in a hospital. Meanwhile, the case has since been transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department for comprehensive investigation as directed by the commissioner of police, Echeng Echeng.
“The CP frowned at such inhuman treatment subjected to some housemaids/help, assuring that the command will continue to do everything within his power to protect the vulnerable members of society. The case shall be charged to court at the conclusion of the investigation and justice shall be served,” the police statement said.
Further information gathered by the reporter showed that a popular skit-maker and comedian, Lord Zeus, has taken over the treatment and rehabilitation of the little girl.
Zeus, who said many Nigerians, including those in Diaspora, are very much concerned about the safety of the little girl and punishment for her abuser, confirmed that through contributions from the concerned respondents the first hospital bill of the child has been paid off while she has been transferred to another hospital in Asaba, Delta State, for better and proper medicare.
Meanwhile, wife of the Anambra State governor, Mrs. Nonye Soludo, has called for collective action against domestic violence and abuse.
The governor’s wife, who stated this in Awka in reaction to several cases of abuse and domestic violence reported in the state, explained that for the cases to be eliminated everyone, including those going through them, must show better action and commitment to end the menace.
The governor’s wife, who emphasized that Anambra State was not a playground for abusers, pledged her commitment to ensure justice for any case of abuse and domestic violence, especially one that affects women, children and girls.
She commended the recent introduction of a special court in Anambra State that looks exclusively into cases of sexual and domestic abuse and related crimes, stating that she has high hopes that, while expediting the processes of prosecution, the court will also help by delivering verdicts that send a deterrent signal to would-be offenders and help sanitize the state’s social environment.