By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Police Command said it had arrested a 29-year-old woman, Mrs. Edeh Osinachi, over the alleged physical abuse of a 17-year-old girl in Awka, the capital city of the state.
The arrest, it was gathered, followed the timely intervention of school authorities and the State Ministry of Education.
Confirming this in a statement issued on Wednesday, the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga said the suspect was formally handed over to the Police by officials of the Ministry of Education as part of ongoing efforts to safeguard the welfare and security of students and pupils across the state.
According to him, preliminary investigations revealed that officials of the victim’s school noticed visible injuries on her body during a teaching session and immediately expressed concerns and began asking her questions. He said upon further inquiry by the school authorities, the girl reportedly disclosed that the injuries were inflicted by her guardian, who she serves as house girl, because she used her phone without permission.
The police spokesperson said the victim recounted how her Madam became enraged after discovering that she had made calls with her phone without her permission, and consequently subjected her to physical punishment by scalding her body parts with a hot pressing iron.
SP Ikenga further revealed that during interrogation by officers of the Anambra State Police Command, the suspect confessed to the act, while investigations into the matter are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
While commending the vigilance and responsiveness of the school authorities for their swift action, the PPRO described the development as a positive outcome of strengthened school-community security collaboration within the state.
“To this end, Anambra State Police Command while commending the vigilance of the school authorities, assures the public that a thorough investigation will be conducted and that justice will be served in accordance with the Law.
“The Command also urges parents to give birth to the number of children that they can train, to avoid leaving them vulnerable to abuse whilst in the care of others,” he concluded.
