By Ado Oyeyemi
The Imo State Police Command has arrested a man, Lucky Adim, for allegedly assaulting his 10-year-old daughter, Confidence, with an electric cable in Owerri.
Adim’s arrest followed a petition by a human rights organisation, Stand for Humanity Foundation, after the girl was reportedly brought to the group with multiple injuries across her body.
The president of the organisation, Chidiebube Okeoma, disclosed this in a statement, saying the girl and her two younger siblings were rescued from the streets by concerned members of the public before being taken to the organisation.
Okeoma said the group subsequently petitioned the Owerri Urban Divisional Police Headquarters, requesting an investigation into the alleged abuse and the arrest and prosecution of the suspect.
He said the police acted on the petition and arrested Adim, who allegedly admitted assaulting his daughter.
According to Okeoma, the suspect allegedly used a cable wire to beat the child, leaving her with injuries that required medical attention.
The girl was subsequently taken to the Police Hospital in Owerri for treatment, while her two younger siblings were moved to an orphanage in the city for temporary care.
The human rights group called for the suspect to be prosecuted, stressing that child abuse should not be dismissed as a private family dispute.
Okeoma said the alleged assault was an offence under the law, citing Section 355 of the Criminal Code, Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, as applicable in Imo State.
He said the organisation would continue to pursue the matter through the appropriate legal channels, adding that prosecution of the suspect would send a strong warning to parents who subject children to violence.
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“We are insisting that the suspect be arraigned by the police so as to serve as a deterrent to parents who abuse their children, thinking that the law permits them,” Okeoma said.
