Sheer Brutality! Couple In Delta State Docked For Defiling And Inflicting Burns On 13-Year-Old Girl

A couple in Delta State identified as Mr Francis Onyeji and his wife, Chibuzor,have been docked for the assault and severe injuries inflicted on a 13-year old girl (names withheld) living with them as a ward in Ekpan, near Warri, Delta State.

  

It was gathered that the woman, Mrs Chibuzor Onyeji, was arrested by the police at Ekpan last weekend for allegedly causing bodily harm to the little girl, the daughter of Mrs Onyeji's elder sister who was her guardian before her marriage to Francis.

 

The woman reportedly burnt the JSS 2 student on many parts of her body with a hot knife she allegedly intentionally heated over the flames of a stove for the purpose of disfiguring and crippling the girl who is also her niece.

 

Subsequently, the girl was seriously burnt on her two feet, arms and shoulders, back and buttocks with the hot knife the woman had produced after ensuring that the doors of their house were firmly locked at about 9.30pm on the fateful day.

 

 

It was learnt that accused woman decided to carry out the dastardly act after she discovered that her husband had been abusing the small girl sexually for about two years.

 

The husband, Francis, who hails from Imo State, was said to have had canal knowledge of the young teenager and then giving her some money, which the poor girl used to buy herself a few things including food as her aunt often denied her her meals.

 

The whole saga started when the girl reportedly said the money she had brought to school last week had been stolen and accused some of her classmates of tampering with her bag.The school authorities out of curiosity sent a senior staff to follow her home to ascertain if the affected girl actually took money amounting to about N1,500 to school that morning.

 

On interrogation by her aunt and guardian, the girl allegedly confessed that Mr Onyeji sometimes gave her money after sleeping with her.

 

Her guradian on hearing the confession, inflicted several burns all over her body,

 

Meanwhile, the Delta police command have begun a manhunt for the husband, Mr Francis Onyeji, who has since gone into hiding even as the police has taken the accused woman into what a source called "protective custody.

 

A joint plea of the Child Welfare/Development Officer from the Delta State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Lopgun Solomon and Joshua Omorere of the Nigerian Child Welfare Fund (a non-governmental organisation) who prayed the court to be given the victim's custody was granted, despite the appeal to take the girl home by the father of the victim, Mr Pius Nworie, who arrived Delta the previous day.