IT was a practical case of man’s inhumanity to man in Warri, Delta State when a middle aged woman identified as Mrs. Chibuzor Onyeji, a mother of four and indigene of Imo State, allegedly inflicted various degrees of burn’s on a 13 year old Miss Chinemerem Nworie after the victim reported to her that her husband had canal knowledge of her.
The victim, a J.S.S 2 student of Ekpan Basic Secondary school in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, while narrating her ordeal to newsmen, said, on that fateful day, she had come to school with the sum of #1,500 Naira which her aunt’s husband identified as Mr. Francis Nworie, a staff of LEE ENGINEERING COMPANY, Warri now at large, gave her after sleeping with her.
The money, she said, she usually spent on her stationary, literature as well as snacks as her aunt seldomly gives her food to eat.
According to Chinemerem, Francis Nworie started abusing her sexually over two years ago whenever he was off duty as he was said to be an offshore worker and always gives her money afterwards.
She said, when she discovered that part of the money she brought to school was missing after break time, she reported to her class teacher.
The NIGERIAN OBSERVER gathered that after fruitless search for the said money, her class mates who claimed they were wrongly accused followed her home after school hours and reported the case to Mrs. Chibuzor Onyeji, who she said is her second cousin and she had been staying with her since 2010.
Visibly demoralised Chinemerem said,” When my aunt asked me where I got the money from, and l told her it was her husband who gave me the money after sleeping with me, she said it is a lie.”
“In the Night at about 9.30 pm, she woke me up and put a knife on the fire and started to use it on my body, saying she will kill me half dead. She used pestle to heat my head several times and iron rod to heat my to ankles”.
Chinemerem , soft spoken , third child in a family of six girls, who spoke fluently in English continued, “ she said, she wanted to pour hot water on me, but she later said no, when we come back from school, she will do that and put the knife in my chest.; this other old mark on my back was when she asked me to boil yam, she said the sizes were too big and she took from the boiling yam and zip down my dress, and place a piece of yam on my back”.
Luck however ran out of the suspect when she brought Chinemerem to school with the intention to give her public disgrace.
Principal of the school, Mrs. Betty Bovwe, was said to be away on official duty when newsmen got to the school on Nigercat Road, however the Vice Principals Mrs. Queenbetty Unogwa, said the school authority had sent for Mrs. Onyeji severally because of her ward’s incessant lateness and absenteeism in school.
The NIGERIAN OBSERVER further learnt that she even missed mathematics, agricultural science, and two other papers during last term examinations. (Which she said was as a result of domestic chores that took her time). But she (Onyeji) never honoured the invitation until she came that day.
According to the Vice Principal, “when we saw the degree of burns and swellings on her head, we started asking her questions, but the behaviour of the woman was very unruly; that prompted us to call the police.
“The girl is a very intelligent girl, despite the situation she found herself, she is among the best in her class, and l believe she would do far better given a conducive environment.
She is presently with the school’s Guidance Counsellor, Mrs. Rita Obuh, who took custody because the police said they cannot keep her at the station.”
Joshua Omorere, of the Nigerian Child Welfare Fund, a non governmental organisation, who described the suspect as not only possessed, but demonic called on the Delta State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare to send circular to all schools asking them to report to them whenever they see strange marks on the body of their students or any strange behaviour as this would help a great deal in curbing the menace of child abuse in the society.
A rights activist and peace building consultant, Barrister Robinson Ariyo, while reacting, to the dastardly act, described the incident as very unfortunate and gross inhuman treatment, saying that it is a reminder of what used to happen in the early days of mankind, where there was no law, where life was brutish, nasty and short, where might was right It reminds us of what used to happen during slave trade.”
Ariyo said, “for a crime to occur, there has to be two key primary elements, and this, the actual act and the intention to cause the act.
From the story the girl has told, the two elements are present.
In other words, it is very clear that the woman actually intended to cause harm; for her to have put a knife on the fire and made sure it is hot enough to inflict that degree of burns and there was intention as manifest from the girls story, it shows she was ready to cause harm, and the law says, even if you say with your mouth that you did not intend to cause it, if in the ordinary course of human events such acts cause those grievous harms, the law would hold it that, that is what you intended to do and the law would take its course.
The two elements have conspired together to demonstrate that there was a crime and there was the intention to commit the crime”.
The legal practitioner who said gathering all the acts together, the woman could be charged for attempted murder, as from all indication, the act was done midnight, the girl was alone with the woman and the woman confined the girl to a particular space within which she was able to do all that she did adding that the girl was helpless which could have resulted in her death.
“I do not believe this can happen in 2015.It takes me back to several tens of years ago.” Ariyo said.
Speaking further, Ariyo said, “apart from the legal implications, this girl can gradually develop from this kind of behaviour to become a sadist in life. So, there are lots of unfortunate things that can happen to the girl in life. I think the law should be a allowed to take its course. The reason being that there are a lot of people who are doing this on a daily basis and are not being reported, this is just one incident that we have seen.
Let us remember that the purpose of punishment is to deter offenders and also discourage intending offenders from doing this, so that people would know that, it is not their right to inflict on any human being. Even if that child was your child, if you do that, you would know that eventually, that child is not for you, that belongs to the state because it is the state that old proceed against you.
You cannot settle this matter amicably, because it is a serious offence, e felonious offence which you can be imprisoned for life, so you cannot compromise that. To attempt to settle this amicably would be compounding a felony, this is not a civil matter, it is a criminal matter. A crime against the state. “
Ariyo however said, the girl apart from the physical treatment, the girl needs psychological treatment.
She needs to undergo a lot of rehabilitation, what we call post traumatic stress treatment she has to pass through that and for her age”.
Commending those working to bring the incident to limelight, he called on all “well meaning Nigerians to come to her aid by showing her love and care and support her, because she spoke out, she protested she did not like it” and expressed optimism that in the near future, opportunity would be given to lawyers, doctors and expert in other fields who wants to render free humanitarian services to assist such victim.
The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ekpan, CSP Chris Sorbate who confirmed the incident, said investigations were still on going, but said the suspect was granted bail because of her three month old baby.
The Police has taken Onyeji into custody as community youths on watching the news in Delta Broadcasting Service Television news unthreatened to inflict same degree of injury on her.
When newsmen visited the suspect’s house, only her mother was available and she immediately ran inside on sighting newsmen.
Father of Clunemerem who arrived Warri from Onitcha weekend declined to speak with the press, saying it is a family matter.
He literarily knelt down for his daughter begging her for forgiveness, being partially responsible for her ordeal.
