Girl jumps down two-storey building to evade punishment
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Abia State said on Tuesday that it had intervened in a suspected child trafficking case involving a 13-year-old girl, Uduak Willy, who reportedly jumped down from a two-storey building to evade punishment for alleged stealing.
The State Commandant of the corps, Vincent Ogu, said this at his office in Umuahia, while briefing journalists about the incident.
He said the incident happened on January 8 at 204, Niger Stone, on Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, near Ariaria Market, Aba, Abia State where Miss Willy lived with a businessman, Emeka Igwe, and his wife, Aniekan.
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Mr Ogu said the girl who was liiving with the couple as a house help took the desperate action after she was accused of stealing N500 from the house and allegedly “subjected to serious beating by Mr Igwe and his wife”.
The commandant said Mr Igwe, along with his mother-in-law, 50-year-old Christiana Godwin, was arrested for “alleged involvement in child-trafficking, child-labour, domestic violence and attempted murder”.
He said the circumstances surrounding the process of the victim’s coming to Abia suggested “she might have been a victim of child trafficking.”
He said the matter would be handed over to the appropriate agency for diligent prosecution at the end of investigations.
Mr Ogu said that the command was alerted about the incident by the Speacial Adviser to the Abia State governor on teenage matters, Chinemenma Umesaka.
“When I got the disturbing information on the ordeal of the girl from Umesaka, I quickly mobilised my men and ordered them to rescue the victim and arrest the perpetrators of the dastardly and inhuman act against the minor,” the NSCDC boss said.
