Police operatives have arrested one Mrs. Nneamaka Nwachuku, a Microbiologist with a Federal Government research institute in Vom, near Jos, Plateau State for physically abusing her 11 years old maid, identified as Margaret Joshua to death.
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The girl who was not enrolled in any school for more than one year she spent in the care of Mrs. Nwachukwu, was subjected to almost daily beatings and torture.
Reports made available reveal that Mrs. Nwachukwu had been cautioned by the police over the mistreatment of the victim in the past.
It was gathered that the climax of the abuse was when Margaret was forced to sit on a container with hot water leading to burns on her buttocks leading to her death last Monday.
However, Mrs. Nwachukwu, a mother of two, denied the allegations and claimed that Margaret fled her home a day before she died. However, bruises all over her body are leading investigators and concerned human rights activists on the plateau to believe a history of abuse against the young girl.
The Plateau State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission, Mrs. Grace Pam who is following up on the case affirmed as such telling Vanguard’s Marie-Therese Nanlong:
“Our attention was called to the situation on Monday by a staff in the hospital who said that an a11-year-old girl was seriously beaten and injured by her guardian, Mrs. Nneamaka Nwachukwu in Vom. The girl had scars and burns on her body. We were told that she was taken to Mandela hospital in Kaduna Vom before she was referred to come to Jos.
“When some of our staff met with Mrs. Nwachukwu at the Police Station in Vom where she was detained, she confessed she has been beating her and claimed the girl used to masturbate so she was punishing her so she could stop. She claimed she did not know what used to come over her because she felt bad anytime she beats the child.”
Mrs. Nwachukwu, however, said that Margaret fell into the hot water and ran away, “she fell into hot water and ran out of the house after the incident for almost 24hrs.”
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A report detailing how a last-minute effort was made to save the life of Margaret before her death last Monday observed that she was seen on the street and taken to the Police station at Kaduna Vom. The police were understood to have rushed her to the hospital before drawing the attention of her supposed guardian.
Mrs. Pam is, however, not pleased with the development saying that “no action was taken to take care of the girl in her condition for about 24hrs until someone saw her and took her to the Police station.”
Meanwhile, the case has been transferred from the Police Station in Kaduna Vom to the Police Headquarters in Jos as investigations continue on the allegation of physical abuse of the deceased.
