The Lagos State Police Command on Friday recorded another case of man’s inhumanity to man.
This time around, it was between Nkeiruka Ngwu, 36, of 47, Ogundana Street, off Allen Avenue, Ikeja, a mother of four children, and her 10-year-old house help, Chioma Samuel, whom she brought to Lagos from Umuoju, Ngwu in Abia State sometime in January 2018 after the death of the girl’s father.
Rather than keeping the promise of good life she made to Samuel before she was handed over to her, Ngwu made life a living hell for the child.
According to a statement by the spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, SP Chike Oti, Samuel was mentally and physically abused, with several injury marks to show for it.
Samuel’s latest tale of woes, Oti said, was recorded on March 7, 2018 when the suspect allegedly used a well heated clothes iron to cause grievous injury on the victim’s hands and legs, adding: “She also poured hot water on her which scalded her skin.”
Ngwu, however, ran into trouble on March 8, 2018 when she took her children to a private school located in Ikeja and other mothers who came to drop off their kids noticed the gaping wounds on the upper and lower limbs of the victim who accompanied the suspect to the school.
After questioning the girl, they waited for her “madam” who had gone to drop her kids in their different classrooms.
Ota said the were calmed by some teachers who overheard them.
The women told Ngwu to take the girl to a hospital or else they would petition the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Edgal Imohimi, whom Lagosians have come to know as one who takes strong stance against such and other related crimes against children, women and vulnerable persons in the society.
In spite of their warning to report her to the authorities, Ngwu, like the proverbial dog that wouldn’t hearken to its master’s clarion call when death is lurking around the corner, stubbornly came to the school on March 9, 2018, accompanied by the child victim, whose wounds were manifestly untreated.
On seeing that their warnings were taken for granted, the women made good their promise to call the attention of Imohimi to the matter.
The CP immediately ordered the arrest of the woman and directed the Gender Section of the Command to take the child-victim to the police hospital for proper treatment.
They are to ensure that the girl is fed very well until the Social Welfare Department of the Lagos State Government comes for her.
Oti said investigation into the case is in progress, with Ngwu due to appear in court on Monday (March 12, 2018).
