from Sola Creates, Kaduna.
A Kaduna-based woman (name withheld) has allegedly bathed her eight-year-old son with hot water for allegedly removing a bolt from her grinding machine and sold it to those who buy scraps at N1,500.
The woman was said to have perpetrated the act against the state on Monday at her Romi residence in Chikun local government area of the state. She has been arrested and now cooling her feet in safe custody.
If the allegation levelled against her is established, her action would be contravening Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) law and Child Welfare and Protection law of Kaduna State 2018. These two laws protect all people including children no matter who violates any of the rights contained therein.
Reacting to the development on Thursday, Commissioner, Human Services and Social Development, Hajiya Hafsat Mohammed-Baba said the development saddened the state government, promised to get to its root cause.
According to the commissioner, “the woman said this was her way of punishing her child for removing one bolt from her grinding machine and selling it to those people that buy scrap at N1,500.
“She bathed the child with water she boiled to take her bath after beating him. At the moment, the child is receiving treatment at a government hospital after being rescued by men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. We are happy he’s responding well to treatment.
“The woman involved tried to run away but we were able to arrest her. Already, we have involved the human rights committee of the Nigerian Bar Association to help the mother to ascertain why she did that.
“How can you give birth to a child and burn the child with hot water which is a source of concern to us. We have not been able to interact with the child because he’s still in pain. But the investigation will let us into why the boy did what he did. Could it be he was hungry? We don’t know yet.
“The ministry will also use this opportunity to engage the service of psychiatrists to examine this woman and ascertain what may be wrong with her sense of reasoning”, she said.

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