On Tuesday, the Anambra State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare confirmed the release of a 17-year-old girl from the custody of her stepfather, Sunday Ezeh, who allegedly chained her hands and feet and imprisoned her for a month.
While reporting the incident to journalists on Tuesday, the state Commissioner for the Ministry, Ify Obinabo, described the girl as the suspect’s stepdaughter from the Nise community in the Awka South Local Government Area of the state.
Obinabo told the News Agency of Nigeria that she took the girl to Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital in Amaku, Awka, for medical evaluation and treatment.
The commissioner further stated that other community members contacted the ministry about Ezeh’s actions, noting that the suspect was a traditionalist.
Obinabo said, “Due to the sensitivity of the case, the ministry collaborated with the local vigilante to rescue the girl and apprehend the accused before handing him over to the police.
“The girl sustained injuries in all parts of her body and as a result was billed for emergency surgery in the head. The surgery was successful and she is recuperating at the pediatric ward of the teaching hospital.”
She stated that the probe has been handed over to the Anambra State Police Command.
In recounting her story, the victim stated that she did not know what she had done wrong, but that her stepfather had locked her in and starved her as punishment.
She said, “I cannot remember what I did wrong but my father told me I messed up the compound with my poo and that beating me and locking me up without food was my punishment.
“He used a Bamboo plank to hit my head which was why I had a head injury. People around saw the way he was beating me and came to my rescue.”
Meanwhile, Ezeh stated that the victim was punished for disrespecting him and defiling his compound with feces.
