Chijioke Agwu, Abakaliki
Operatives of the Ebonyi State Police Command have arrested a married couple, Mr and Mrs Philip Iboko, for allegedly torturing an eight-year-old pupil, one Nancy Osinakachi Iboko, their house help.
The maltreatment of the little girl was seen in a trending video where the victim was kept under the scorching sun with her legs tied together by her madam, Mrs Iboko, with whom she has reportedly lived for two years.
The maltreated little girl in this trending video is an 8yr old Miss Nancy Osinakachi Iboko who has lived for two years with her violator, Mrs Agatha Iboko from Izzi LGA, Ebonyi state.
For eating part of the sweet meant for her baby, she was tied up by her aunty and left her pic.twitter.com/0TXklgJYgL— tgt Nweke God'stime (@ogehson1) October 25, 2020
Mr and Mrs Iboko, who hail from the Izzi Local Government Area, unleashed their anger on the maid for eating part of a N10 sweet they had bought for their two-year-old baby, who was crying, to pacify her.
A reliable source said it took the intervention of neighbours (Mr Chinedu and Mr Raymond) to untie and rescue the girl.
The two neighbours, according to the source, ‘untied and took the girl off the scorching sun, as she was already getting weak consequent upon the beating she received from her aunty and the heat from the harsh sun.’
Efforts made to reach the Ebonyi State Police Command to comment on the matter proved futile.
Calls put across to the Police Public Relations Officer in the State, Mrs Loveth Odah, were not answered. She was also yet to reply text messages sent to her mobile line as at the time of this report.
Meanwhile, human rights groups under the auspices of Human Rights Defenders Foundation (HURIDE), Child Protection Network, and Save The Next Child Foundation, among others, have condemned the Ibokos’ action.
According to HURIDE’s Chairman in the State, Sam Nweke, and Save The Next Child’s Coordinator, Barr Steve Ugama, the maltreatment on the little girl was both condemnable and unacceptable.
The duo, in a separate interview, said, ‘Yesterday (Sunday), on receiving the report, Human Rights Defenders Foundation (HURIDE) in collaboration with human rights groups stormed the crime scene at No. 7 Divine Grace Street, Mile 50, Abakaliki.
‘However, before we got there, Mrs Agartha and her husband, Philip Iboko, had locked up their house and ran away to their village, switching off their phones. Mrs Agartha Philip Iboko is a 26-year-old mother of one and a serving [National Youth Service] Corps member with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ebonyi State.
‘In our firm resolve to track the perpetrators of the heinous crime, we had to go to the chairman of Izzi LGA, Chief Paul Nwogha who later assisted us to bring the fleeing violators back the Abakaliki so they can face the consequences of their actions.
‘So, this morning, October 26th, 2020, we invited the police to get her arrested alongside her husband for complicity. While we wait for tomorrow October 27th, to re-unite the abused child with her parents, she is left in momentary custody of the Izzi Council Chairman, Chief Nwogha, on his request.’
