The Anambra State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare, in collaboration with the state police command, has arrested one Chinyere Ifesinachi for allegedly torturing her house help, identified as Idinmachukwu, with pestle and cane.
A viral video has been circulating on the social media since Friday showing the little girl’s swollen eyes together with injuries sustained on all the parts of her body as a result of the beating.
Confirming the arrest to journalists on Saturday, the Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo, said the culprit was arrested on Friday and the case transferred to the State Criminal and Investigation Department of the Police Command, Awka where it would be charged to court.
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The culprit, Ifesinachi, a 25-year-old from the Alor community, pleaded with the commissioner to forgive her as her “actions were orchestrated by the devil.”.
She accepted using both cane and pestle to beat her house girl to a pulp, saying that the reason for beating her was because the house girl threw her child to the ground.
Obinabo assured the victim of her safety, telling her she would not be returning to the culprit’s house after she was taken to the hospital for medical examination.
While appreciating those who raised the alarm that attracted her attention to the incident, Obinabo warned that anyone caught abusing any child in the state must face the consequences.
She also commended the Police command for the continous partnership with her Ministry in ensuring that such cases were handled professionally and in record time.
“It is also worthy of note that immediately the attention of the ministry was drawn to the incident, contacts were quickly established and a team together with some NGOs and the Police was put together to arrest the perpetrator.
“Furthermore, the said culprit is related to the mother of the little girl which is the major reason why they accepted to send their daughter to live with her.
“Also, Nigerians in diaspora have paid off the first hospital bill of the child as she is still undergoing medical examinations and treatments to ascertain the extent of damage caused by her abuser,” she added.
It was gathered that the biological parents of the maid sent their daughter to live with the culprit since March after she was delivered of twins and was finding it difficult to cope.
The parents of the child, who did not want their names mentioned, said, “It was out of pity that we decided to send our little daughter to her after she delivered a set of twins which made it really difficult for her to cope.
“Our daughter left us in March, but it is very unfortunate that barely two months of her stay, she got all kinds of ill-treatments from a woman who was supposed to be her guardian.”
