Haunting story of adults inhumanity to children

Taiwo Jimoh

Tortured maid

Okenya Amaka was just nine-year-old when she was brought to Lagos State by her aunt, Patricia.

When Patricia was taking her away from her village, she promised their relatives that the first thing she would do immediately they got to Lagos, was to enroll Amaka in school.

But less than two years after she arrived Lagos with her aunty, Amaka had gone through unimaginable sufferings in the hands of the aunt, who had earlier promised give the best of everything.

According to Amaka, “If I had known my aunt would be mean to me, I wouldn’t have followed her to Lagos.”

Amaka’s gift from Lagos was bruises and scars on her body, caused by her Patricia constantly flogging her over every imagined offence.

 Amaka said: “My aunt used to beat me over anything and everything. I would have stayed with my parents and siblings in the village. I regret coming to Lagos with her. I want to go back to my parents. She doesn’t beat her children the way she beats me. I don’t want to go to school again; I want to go back to my village because all she does is beat me. I will continue my education when I get to the village.

 “Anytime aunt beats me, the husband would tell her to stop but she wouldn’t. I’m learning hairstylist. My parents have six children, but I’m the only suffering because I came to Lagos. My aunt told me I was 11 years old because I don’t know my age. She accuses me of stealing from her, but I have never stolen. She would use iron sponge to beat me. After beating me, my body would be bleeding. I want to go back home.”

According to neighbours, Patricia used to force the girl to trek far distance, while her children take public transport.

One of the neighbours, who identified himself as Kazeem, said: “Anytime Patricia, her husband and children want to go out, Amaka would be made to trek. Many times, the girl had been beaten amidst accusations that she stole her money or other flimsy reasons. Whenever she starts beating the girl, neighbours would intervene. She would stop, and then later continue. She used to starve the girl. If neighbours give the girl money to buy food to eat, she would reject, fearful of what would happen to her if her aunt finds out.”

Patricia explained that she only beats Amaka whenever she errs. She denied beating Amaka up to the extent of maltreating.

She further said: “She’s my niece because her father and mine are from the same father, but different mothers. I can’t maltreat her, especially since I have my own children. I was surprised when I was confronted that I used to maltreat Amaka. I won’t say I don’t beat her; I do, but only when she does something wrong.

“When she came she didn’t know her age, so I looked at her and thought she looked about 10 years or 11, so I gave her 11years. I believe the only reason she wants to go back home was because it has been long she left the village. She wants to go back to see her parents again. But it’s not because I’m maltreating her! I told her I would send her back anytime I see anybody going to her mother’s village in Ebonyi State.”

Amaka’s ordeal in the hands of her aunt would have continued unabated, but for the intervention of her aunt’s neighbours, who alerted Mrs. Favour Benson, founder of Jashabel Touch-A-Heart Foundation, a human rights organization.

When Benson got involved in the matter, she handed the girl over to the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP). The Agency would later unit Amaka with her family.

Benson, while condemning the treatment meted out on the girl, said Amaka would have continued to suffer, if not for timely intervention from neighbours and her foundation. She added: “Amaka had bruises all over her body when we met her; but now she has been reunited with her parents.”

Amaka’s story is similar to those of many children, taken from the comfort of their parents in different villages in Nigeria and brought to cities.

Over the years, cases of children who are being abused by their guardians, who are mostly their relatives, are now on the increase. Indeed, some of these children often end up losing their lives and always have bruises and scars on their bodies. Many of these children are subjected to untold horrors in the hands of their madams.

They are made to tackle domestic chores too much for their ages. And while their age mates are in school, including their mistress children, they are at home, washing plates and doing laundries of children. Some of these madam children’s are older than them. They are sometimes sexually violated by their mistress’s son or husband.

Children being ill-treated are becoming alarming as no day passes without such reports hitting the pages of national dailies.

Sometimes, these cases are taken to courts and the wicked relative or guardian prosecuted and sentenced, but these legal moves have not checked the escalating crime against children.

Our correspondent investigation showed that most of these children are given out to mistresses or relatives as house helps following their parents losing financial power and becoming unable to feed too many mouths or send every one of their children to school.

A good number are compelled to hawk for their madams, while their age mates are in classrooms learning.

The most heartrending are guardians, who are related to such children, subjecting them to horrific experiences.

Ironically, when these aunts and uncles came to collect these children, they make promises or treating them like little princes and princess. Most never fulfill these promises.

There is also the case of 35-year-old Monsurat Olusanya, who was arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for maltreating her four-year-old niece, Fathia Ogundimu.  

Monsurat was accused of torturing the girl after she mistakenly poured a pot of soup. Monsurat was further accused of using a knife, which she heated on fire to inflict injuries on Fathia.

Speaking sadly on the matter, the Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, disclosed that Monsurat also bit the four-year-old Fathia on her stomach and lips.  “The suspect subjected the little girl to torture after accusing her of pouring away a pot of soup,” said Oyeyemi.

Monsurat was arrested after a member of the Community Development Association in Toluwalase Community in Owode Ijako on October 18, 2019, went to Sango Police Station to report Monsurat terrible maltreatment of her niece.

The complainant claimed that the girl was on the verge of being sent to an early grave if appropriate steps were not taken to save her from the wicked aunt.

The police image-maker said: “It was on the strength of the report, that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Sango Police Station, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Godwin Idehai, detailed his detectives to the scene where the wicked aunt was promptly arrested and whisked to their station. During interrogation, Monsurat admitted being responsible for the injuries on the body of the victim, but pleaded with the police to be lenient with her. She claimed that it was the Devil that made her to torture the little girl. We have taken the girl to hospital. We have also contacted her biological parents to come and take her.”

Miss Chinyere Obi, another 11-year-old housemaid was repeatedly brutalized by her aunt, Mrs. Anyakaora.

A woman, Mrs. Nzelibe Onyedika, sighted Chinyere and was appalled by the injuries on her body.

The appalled Onyedika further noticed that one of the injuries on the girl’s hand appeared to have become infested as maggots were noticed. This was at No. 12 Dominic, Street, Ijegun, Navy town, Lagos State.

      

The Onyedika, who sighted her, quickly, contacted a human rights group. Onyedika said she was able to get the contact of Chinyere’s mistress’s house from her and directed the right activists there.

By the time the rights activists got there, Mrs. Anyakaora had bolted. The activists arrested her husband.

Onyedika said: “I am appealing to parents to be careful of who they give their children out to, because most of the people they give their children to are daughters of Jezebel. Government should take drastic step to curtail the trend of pandemic which most of the underage children are going through on daily basis. The little girl has been living under tortures, hard work, and poor feeding condition”

A neighbour of the Anyakaoras, said that she used to see the girl going on errands in the rain and sun.

She added: “It was when we saw the maggot festering in her fingers that some of us had to intervene in the community. I am appealing to parents to stop giving their daughters to aunts and uncles who always lie that they would give them heaven on earth. Mothers should be guided.”

In Cross-River State, three orphaned girls were recently rescued by the Child Protection Agency following harsh treatment from their grandmother, who blamed them after she contracted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Disease.

The girls, between ages of 13, five, and three years old respectively, had lost their parents. The three sisters suffered streaks of torture from their granny who often invited their uncle to beat them. There were scars on their backs, indicating signs of their troubled life.

When the oldest among the trio was questions, she defended her siblings, refuting claims that they were witches.

She said: “We feed on meagre daily meal, which often comes after an intense hard labour. Our education was also stopped.”

Six-year-old Balikis, whose parents were medically unstable, was brought to Lagos State by her father’s twin sister. The woman would later hand Balikis to their younger sister to care for, who ended up maltreating her.

The aunt always used to beat her on daily basis on slightest provocation, leaving injuries and welts on her body. When the matter finally got to the police, the aunt was not around, while police arrested the husband.

Some neigbhours advised the police to rescue Balikis.  When the Police went to the victim’s school, Praise Nursery and Primary School, the management said they had invited Balikis guardian to come and see them all to no avail.

According to the school management, “It was because of the consistent scar we saw on the girl’s body that we invited her guardians. Balikis looks malnourished. When her aunt came, she promised to take better care of her. But the beating continued. When the beating was becoming unbearable, we had no option than to stop her from coming to school because of the bruises on her body.”

Balikis was taken to the Police Alakara Juvenile centre, located Mushin area of Lagos State

Blessing is a 19-year-old maid, who told policemen attached to the Lagos State Police Command that her madam, Isioma, had a penchant for beating her, while her husband, Chigozie Ezeafor, allegedly sodomises her at nights.

Blessings ordeal in the hands of the couple came to light after she sustained injuries from hot water poured on her by her madam.

She explained that she had been working with the couple for six months. She narrated that throughout her stay with the couple, she was subjected to different forms of physical abuse from Isioma, and sexual abuse from Chigozie.

She explained that whenever Isioma was away or asleep in the night, Chigozie would sneak into her room, to rape her through her anus. The victim said she has suffered terribly in the hands of the couple.

Blessing said: “Madam Isioma beats me at the slightest provocation, while her husband, Chigozie used to sneak into my room whenever his wife was away. He has made several painful attempts to penetrate my anus.”

One day Isioma’s temper was unhinged and she emptied a kettle of hot water on Blessing, badly scalding her skin.

Police investigators noted that Chigozie’s last attempt by to rape the victim brought the issue to light. Operatives from the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Police Command took the victim to hospital.

A mistress, Bisi Olukayode, residing at Lekki Gardens Estate Phase 3 area of Lagos State was arrested for ill-treating her maid, Anjuah Sunday. The girl had been with the woman for two years.

The woman allegedly used to beat 14-year-old Anjuah with sticks, wire and canes, leading to injuries on her body.

The sufferings of the girl came to light members of the community alerted the Office of the Public Defender (OPD).

This was after sympathisers, who noticed that her madam locked her up without started giving her food through window.

Speaking after police rescued, Anjuah said: “Sometimes, they don’t give me food for a whole day. There are times they give me food without water. Other times, they will not give me food, but ask me to take a bowl of water as food. Whenever my madam is going out, she locks me up in the toilet and blocks the door with a big object. Sometimes when I am starving, I enter the kitchen to steal food. I got beaten many times because of this. Sometimes when I see that she has kept money on the table, like N50, N100, I will keep it. When she has gone out, and I see people passing, I will beg them to buy me snacks and soft drinks. Sometimes, she will eat oranges and give me the peels to eat as food.”

Another madam, Nkeiruka Ngwu, was arrested for dousing her 10-year-old maid with hot water and hot iron.

The madam, a 36-year-old mother of four, living at Ikeja, brought Chioma Samuel to Lagos from Umuoju, Ngwu, Abia State following the death of her father. After promising Chioma a good life, Nkeiruka made her life a living hell.

Nkeiruka became police guest after she used a heated

According to the reports, on Wednesday, March 7, 2018, the suspect is alleged to have used a heated clothes iron to burn the victim's hands and legs. Nkeiruka also allegedly poured hot water on Chioma, scalding her skin.

Nkeiruka’s trouble started when Chioma took her children to school, along with her. Other mothers, who came to drop their children, noticed Chioma’s appalling injuries.

While Nkeiruka took her children to their respective classes, the mothers subjected Chioma to series of questions about her injuries. They then waited for Nkeiruka to come out.

Nkeiruka was about to drive off when she was confronted by these women who almost mobbed her. The matter was reported the police

Similarly, the reproductive organs of 12-year-old Faith Nwanja was damaged after she was tortured and mutilated by her employer Mrs Nkechi Bartholomew for being too stubborn. The torture left her with damaged organs and in need of plastic surgery.

This was disclosed by the Ebonyi State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development. It was revealed that Bartholomew, a childless woman and seamstress, adopted Nwanja and took her to Onitsha, Anambra State, when she was eight years old. There, the abuse began. The maid’s private part and reproductive organs were damaged after being tortured by her madam in Onitsha. During the course of the child's stay, Bartholomew allegedly inserted sticks inside her private parts as punishment and over time it caused serious damage to the reproductive system.

The preteen has shocking scars and injuries all over her body, indicating the extent of torture she suffered. She has also lost one of her hands as a result of the torture she suffered.

Head of Department, Child Development of the state Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Godwin Igwe said the girl was battered, dehumanized and subjected to degrading treatment by Mrs Nkechi Bartholomew. He further disclosed that the child had been undergoing medical examination by team of expert gynaecologists, a team of orthopaedic doctors, a team of expert opmologists because of serious harm inflicted on her reproductive system, her hand, her ear, her teeth all over.

Igwe said: “The woman inflicted injuries on all part of her body.”

Preliminary medical reports show that the child will undergo series of plastic surgery because of part of the ear that has been chopped off, the head that has been mutilated, the mouth that has been mutilated.

Narrating her ordeal, Faith said her madam always tortures her with sticks, hot iron, stones, and other dangerous weapons for being stubborn. She also said the woman kept her from going to school, fed her only once a day, and told her that even if she kills her, she would go free.

Alhaji Kasali Mumuni (41)  was accused of inflicting wound on his two children, nine-year-old Maryam and Ojonla, six, with hot knife in Owo, Ondo State capital, for allegedly stealing fish.

Mumuni is said to have been married on three occasions but none of his wives stayed with him for more than three years before they were sent packing with their children. Kasali left home that fateful day for work only to return to discover that the only fish in the pot had been eaten.

When he came home and his food was served without fish, hell was let loose.

Narrating what happened, Maryam said it was actually true that Ojonla ate half of the piece of fish in the pot and that when their step-mother returned from her shop, she ate the other half.

She added that as their father returned and was served rice without fish, he flared up and their step-mother told him that the two of them stole the fish reserved for his dinner while she was away from the house.

Angered by what he was told, Maryam said that their father beat them mercilessly and later went into the kitchen to light the stove and put a knife on it.

She recalled: “When the knife was hot and turned red, he pressed it on our stomachs one after the other. We cried and begged but our father refused to remove the knife. Our neighbours, who heard our cries, rushed to the scene only to be told by our father that they should mind their businesses. He held us down for several minutes as the knife was pressed on our stomachs.”

She stated that the neighbours later informed officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who rushed to the scene and rescued them.  “We were taken to the State Hospital, Akure by the officials of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps who later informed the Welfare Department of the state Ministry of Women Affairs,” she said.

An official of the NSCDC confirmed that the suspect was arrested for allegedly inflicting injuries on his children.

An Islamic cleric, Sheik Suleiman Adigun, speaking with our correspondent on Islam’s perspectives on child molestation and abuse said, as a parent, “We have to take our child and the house help like our own blood.”

The cleric who quoted from Quran, added: “To this world and the Hereafter. And they ask you Prophet Muhammed about orphans. Say, "Improvement for them is best. And if you mix your affairs with theirs - they are your brothers. And Allah knows the corrupter from the amender. And if Allah had willed, He could have put you in difficulty. Indeed, Allah is exalted in Might and Wise.”

He said that it means, “We should treat them like our own blood, even if they are housemaids and give them what our own children are eating and cloth them with what we give to our children. We shouldn’t discriminate against them.”

Adigun further noted: “We should also be just with them, because we don’t know what the housemaid would become in future; they could be of help to our own children. That was why we have to take good care of them and stop the discrimination.”

Corroborating Adigun’s caution, Evangelist, Mrs. Olayemi Olatuyi  of  Christ  Apostolic  Church, Vineyard of Christ  Beloved, Mowe, Ogun State, said that the Holy Bible condemns it ill treatment of children and maids in strong terms.

She said: “The Holy Bible says that we should love our neighbours as ourselves; this also applies to housemaids staying with us and the orphans. We should treat them equally.”

She noted that whenever she was going to Church, she always sees a little boy taking care of an elderly man who is sick. The boy doesn’t go to school. She said that the most annoying point was that the man’s wife deliberately went to their village to bring the boy from their village with the intention of looking after the sick man. She added that the sick man’s children were all in higher institutions.

Olatuyi added: “Any time I see the boy sleeping on a mat, I get unhappy. They are destroying the life and future of the boy gradually. It is now six weeks that school had resume, but the boy had not gone to school. He’s always at home. The innocent boy didn’t know that his wife is wasting. His parents are in the village, thinking he is in school. I want to urge parents to give birth to the number of children they can train. Pastors in churches should see it as a duty and preach on the issue in any gathering they find themselves. Even in our women weekly programme, I always advise my women colleagues to limit the number of children they want to have. I want to urge parents to emulate the wealthy people who always have between two to three children.  Those of us who are the pastor’s wife should go out and educate women on the numbers of children to have.  If we have limited children, we wouldn’t allow our sisters and cousins to take custody of our children. I want those who have their sister’s staying with them to learn from Esther story, who later turned out to be Queen after going through a lot in the hands of her master.”