13-year old girl allegedly disfigured by guarding rescued in Imo

A 13 year old girl, Favour Nuhu, whose right eye was allegedly disfigured by her guardian, Mrs Joyce Onyinye, has been rescued by a human rights organization in Imo State.

The organization known as Stand For Humanity Foundation, through its founder, Chidiebube Okeoma, disclosed to our correspondent that the girl has been admitted to the State University Medical Centre in Owerri, for urgent medical attention.

He further disclosed that preliminary investigation by Doctors showed that the minor cannot see anything with the affected right eye.

According to Okeoma, the minor who was said to be an indigene of Kaduna State told investigating police officers at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Owerri that her 30 year-old guardian used a cord of a laptop to inflict the injury on her.

The founder of the Organization said his foundation got the hint of the matter from some concerned citizens who live in the same neighborhood with the minor.

He explained that the minor while relating her ordeal to the concerned citizens, revealed to them that her madam was dehumanizing her and had infact, inflicted injury on one of her eyes but out fear she beckoned on her interviewers not to tell her madam so that she won’t beat her more.

“Upon getting the hint, we quickly went to the State Police Command headquarters in Owerri and reported the matter.
Policemen were assigned to us and we moved to Green Health Estate at Ohii in Owerri where the minor resides with her guardian, but on our arrival we were told that the woman and the battered girl left before we arrived.

“We went back to the police command headquarters and saw the woman and the battered girl probably the woman got a wind of it from the inquiry we made,”he said.

According to the human rights foundation, the minor was interviewed by policemen and she reiterated that the injury was inflicted on her by her guardian.

The guardian, upon being interviewed by police, made a confessional statement admitting that she flogged her but refused to acknowledge that it was as a result of the flogging that damaged the girl’s right eye.

The police ordered that the minor be taken to hospital.

“We took her to the State Health Insurance Agency where we enrolled her into the free Healthcare Insurance Agency scheme for vulnerable children.

“The Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr Uche Ewelike gave an express approval considering the girl’s condition referred her to the State University Medical Centre in Owerri for admission and Camel Eye clinic at Tetlow for eye examination.” Okeoma further said.

The woman was later granted administrative bail because she is a nursing mother but instructed to be available whenever her presence is needed by the police.

The founder of the organization used the moment to advise against child battering and dehumanization of any sort.

“If you can no longer tolerate a child’s excesses please take him or her back to her parents. You have no right to batter any child, not even the one you gave birth to.

“We will keep fighting child battering until we completely win it. No child deserves to be dehumanized. Not even his or her background status will warrant anybody to batter them,” he advised.