Step-mum dips one-year-old son’s hands in boiling water …for eating a wrap of moin-moin

NAPTIP BOSS, JULIE OKAH-DONLI

Operatives of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) have arrested a couple for inflicting bodily harm on their one-year-old son.

The couple, Mr. Ayo Yahaya 43 and his wife Khadijat, 30, were arrested after the woman placed the boy’s hands into a boiling pot of yam and held them.

The boy’s cries of pains made residents in the neighbourhood to come running, leading to the arrest of the couple. The boy was quickly rushed to hospital for emergency surgery.

The punishment was meted out on the boy because he ate a wrap of moin-moin out of hunger.

The couple was grabbed by operatives of NAPTIP in the early hours of Saturday in Kuje, Abuja.

According to Head, Press and Public Relations (NAPTIP), Mr Josiah Emerole, the little boy is Yahaya’s son from his first marriage. The marriage ended less than six months ago.

Emerole said: “The little boy had his hands, buttocks and genitals burnt by his step mother who is supposed to be his caregiver with the support of his father. The boy has faced several kinds of maltreatment, including starvation since his father forcibly took him away from his biological mother recently.

“The little boy was said to have been starved from morning till 2pm on that fateful day. He crawled to the kitchen where he saw some wraps of moin-moin and decided to help himself to one. No sooner had he managed to open one than the step mother arrived and descended on him.”

According to the image maker, Yahaya is a mechanic, with a shop located near Zuba, the Federal Capital Territory.

Yahaya, an indigene of Kogi State, usually leaves his Kuje home early to his mechanic workshop and returns late at night. He divorced the mother of the boy six months ago.

Emerole said: “The first wife left his house with the little boy, but a few weeks ago, the man travelled to the village and ran away with the little boy without the knowledge of the mother, and clearly against her wish. He brought the boy to Kuje and kept him in custody of Khadijat. For the offence of trying to eat the moin- moin, the woman used her bathroom slippers to flog and designed the little boy's body. Witness account has it that, the boy was beaten until he couldn't cry anymore. He was then left on the wet and muddy floor. The neighbours thought she was done beating the little boy, but they were mistaken. Khadijat proceeded to peel a tuber of yam, poured it inside a pot, added water and salt to the yam, and placed it on fire. When the yam was done, she grabbed this little boy, held both hands and dipped them in the hot boiling water, which has now turned into a light paste owing to the cooked yam. She held the boy's hands pinned into the hot water for a while before letting go.”

The boy's shout for help and cry of agony drew the attention of neighbours who came to his rescue, but it was too late. The father returned without doing anything. Some Good Samaritans brought the matter to the attention of NAPTIP on Friday. The child was eventually rescued with the help of these Good Samaritans.

“He has gone through a successful surgery at a specialist hospital in Abuja through the support of same Good Samaritans,” said Emerole.

He added: “All attempts to apprehend the couple since Friday failed as the husband took his wife into hiding until early Saturday morning when they were smoked out of hiding by NAPTIP operatives. They are now in NAPTIP custody making useful statements while investigations continue.”