A couple, Mr Francis Onyeji and his wife, Chibuzor, are presently battling with the law over the assault and severe injuries inflicted on a 13-year old girl (names withheld) living with them as a ward in Ekpan, near Warri in Delta State.

THISDAY learnt that the woman, Mrs Chibuzor Onyeji, was arrested by the police at Ekpan over the weekend for allegedly causing bodily harm to the little girl and 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.

THISDAY 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 regular 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.

However, the lid was said to have been blown off the affair when the girl reportedly said the money she had brought to school last week hade been stolen and accused some of her classmates of tampering with her bag.

Eventually, 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.

Thus was the cat let out of the bag as the young girl, on interrogation by her aunt and guardian, allegedly confessed that Mr Onyeji sometimes gave her money after sleeping with her.

The girl was said to have opened up on her the man started abusing her sexually especially when he was off-duty, as he usually worked off-shore for a Warri-based engineering and construction company.

However, the confession of the girl reportedly angered the woman, who insisted that the story was merely a fabrication from the girl.

The victim, who looked a sorry sight when some newsmen were allowed to speak with her, where she is presently in safe custody of child welfare organization, 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 was a lie".

However, after inflicting several burns all over her body, the accused was said to have taken another step of "disgracing her publicly" while threatening to kill her for lying against her husband.

She brought the girl to the school last week despite the fact that she had reportedly refused to honour several invitations from the school authorities due to various observances about the girl.

The girl also carries on her scars from previous physical assault by her aunt and guardian, including the one on her back said to have been received from the accused who allegedly unzipped her dress and put a hot piece of yam from the pot into her back.

Mrs Chibuzor Onyeji was said tot have frequently denied the girl food and caused her to miss many lessons and even some papers during the last examinations.

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-principal, Mrs Queenbetty Unogwa, said that the school authority had sent for Mrs. Onyeji severally because of her ward's incessant lateness and absenteeism from school.

"She even missed mathematics, agricultural science, and two other papers during last term examinations," she revealed.

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.

THISDAY learnt on Tuesday that the police had to "re-arrest" the embattled woman to save her life after youths of Ekpan community allegedly threatened to bring the woman out and do to her what she did to her ward and niece.

However, it was further learnt that the woman was arraigned at a magistrate court in Ekpan on Monday and subsequently granted bail by the court.

The Magistrate, Mrs Blesing Ideh, however granted the accused bail on compassionate ground as she is a nursing mother of three month old baby with the sum of #500,000 (Five Hundred thousand naira) with surety in like sum, which include a landed property within the Magisterial District and which must be confirmed by court officials and that the acussed must be present in court at every sitting.

Also, the 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.

Nevertheless, the case has been adjourned till July 21, 2015, when the victim would likely be reunited with her biological parents who are anxious to take a message home as the community elders at home were said to be eagerly waiting to see to the end.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/couple-in-trouble-over-defiling-and-battering-of-13-year-old-girl/214150/

Very sad and appalling.

SAY NO TO CHILD MOLESTATION.

omg. Women are totally wicked. But why is konji holding all our men like this?

this small girl abused sexually? kai o God what is this world turning into? wetin for that girl body move oga

chukwu nna bia kwa nyere ndi mmadu aka Maka n' uwa na emezi ntughari

If only Nigeria's judicial system wasnt a joke I wld have been rejoicing she has been taken to court. Don't be suprised if the woman is told to pay N100,000 and to provide two sureties; then she's released.

Not in support of jungle justice but for the sake of d sorry state of our judiciary, those youths shld have been allowed to teach that woman a proper lesson; that "what goes around comes around".

Smh....

Her "horse" band had been defiling the little child for over 2years and instead of her to cut off the man's blokus,
She meted this treatment on her niece?
Pray, what type of specie is this?
Can't even term her stupid cos that would be an insult to stupid people!!!

Too much

ha!


husband and wife una want kill am ni

So sad! lf one can do this to her own sister's child, someone who was responsible for her before she got married one can imagine if the girl was not in anyway related to her. The couple should end up behind bars and their baby given to a relative to care for.

If somebody neva go jail for child abuse, others no go learn.
This is pure wickedness

so sad, what on earth as the girl done to deserve that;(

na wa o

What? For my own domain? Wey my Alaka boys?

Seun must hear this

..

Things they happens

What's appealing in that girl? that a married mature man will be having sex with
that woman is a big fool, why can't she confront the husband that's using the girl. the victim is now her scape goat because she's a minor.
for even saying she's a nursing mother is a disgrace. may she never eat the good of waffi if she didn't change her ways.

chai!!

what about the mad husband?
mek dem no let dat man escape oh....just look at the poor little girl.

Sometimes jungle justice is justified.

Wickedness

Where are all those Bills the 7th senate passed at the twilight of their tenure? One shld be applied on these zombies

What a jezebel!

26

I pity the woman o.
Small children always fvcking madam husband.
I would ve done worse o..

I could kill because of things like this

nawa o, how can couple join hand to do this trash