A police nursing mother, Ugo Okochi, residing along Mile 50 layout
Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, yesterday poured, Chinyere Igwe with hot water
and hot melon soup, over alleged disobedience to the directive of the
woman who was said to have been maltreating the young girl since she was
brought to her from the village.
Okochi who recently gave birth to twins, two weeks ago, was said to
have poured the girl with hot soup and water after the girl was directed
to fry the melon but the girl mistakenly forgot and poured the melon
inside the soup without frying it.
It was reliably gathered that the action of Chinyere infuriated
Okochi, who immediately started beating her up, rushed inside her room,
brought teargas to use on her, but on a second thought, dropped the
teargas and carried a boiling hot water she wanted to use to bath her
twins and poured on her.
Chinyere, who lost her father recently, was taken in by her Mrs.
Okochi as a house help. She said her mother gave her out because of poor
financial status of her family, adding that she has been living with
her for the past two years with maltreatment.
According
to her; “She rushed to hot water and poured it on me. She ordered me to
remove the cloth on my body which she dashed me and I removed it. The
husband came to me and also beat me up.”
In her reaction, Mrs. Okochi who regretted her action, accused
Chinyere of stobornness. “This girl has been a problem to me, she has
been giving me troubles and I have made several efforts to send her back
to the mother but she wouldn’t agree to go”, she said.
Chinyere was not taken to hospital for medical treatment as her
condition kept worsening while the inhuman treatment meted on her spread
like wildfire.
This prompted officials of the state Ministry of Women Affairs and
Social Development to storm the house of the woman and rescued Chinyere.
After rescuing the girl, the Director Child Welfare in the Ministry,
Godwin Igwe, expressed dismay that a policewoman who should protect
lives should be the one that maltreated the girl in such manner.