The Honourable Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Anambra State, Hon Ify Obinabo has rescued a 17 year old girl from father who allegedly wanted to use her for ritual.
It was gathered that the survivor who hails from Nise town in Awka South local government area of the state is said to be the step daughter of the suspect one Mr Sunday Ezeh, a traditionalist and an alleged ritualist.
Addressing news men when she brought the child to Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital Amaku Awka, Women Affairs Commissioner, Hon Obinabo explained that she was hinted of the incident by some indigenes of Nise but due to the sensitivity of the case, collaborated with the local vigilante in apprehending the offender before handing him over to the police.
She therefore warned that the Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s led administration has zero tolerance for any form of crime hence when caught committing one, must be severely dealt with.
Hon Obinabo on her second visit at the hospital went further to warn everyone to desist from any form of harmful traditional practices against girls, Children and Women as the case maybe as she noted that according to reports, Sunday Ezeh wanted to use her step daughter for ritual.
Sharing her experience, the 17-year-old survivor who was rescued and taken to the hospital for treatment said, she was bound hands and feet by the said father and locked up in a room for one month without food.
According to her, she couldn’t remember what her offense was but was told by her father that she messes up the compound with her poo and the beating and inhumane treatments was her punishment.
The rescued girl also noted that the step father had used a Bamboo plank to hit her on the head but for the early intervention of people, she was saved and brought to the hospital.
Whereas according to the alleged suspect Sunday Ezeh, he noted that he merely punished his disobedient daughter for desecrating his compound with poo which is against his traditional belief and practice, though pleaded for pardon during arrest but was handed over to the police.
WITHIN NIGERIA equally learnt that the case has been transferred to the Anambra State Police Criminal Investigative Department and will be charged to court.
Meanwhile, the survivor sustained a lot of injury in all parts of her body and as a result was billed for emergency surgery in the head.
As at the time of this report, the surgery was successful and the rescued girl recuperating at the pediatrics ward in Chukwuebuka Odumegwu Teaching Hospital, Amaku Awka.
