Men of the Bayelsa state police command have arrested a 39-year-old woman identified as Esther Otoniye at the Akenfa area of Yenagoa, the state capital over her use of hot pressing iron to burn the buttocks of a 10 years old step-daughter for alleged lie against her.
Our correspondent gathered that the arrest of the accused step mother, was ordered by the state commissioner of police, after complaints by various women and child rights advocacy groups including the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the Gender Response Team Initiatives (GRIT).
It was also gathered that the accused step-mother, Esther Otoniye placed a knife on the fire and used it to burn her two buttocks while the girl’s father was in the bathroom. She admitted she was burnt with the hot knife because she lied against her step mother.
But the accused step mother however denied that she burnt her step daughter with hot knife but that hot water accidentally poured on the girl’s buttock in the kitchen. Some members of the child right advocacy groups observed that the body of the primary 3 pupil was filled with scars suspected to have come from severe and repeated flogging.
Commenting on the development, the Chairman of the Gender Response Initiative Team, Dise Ogbise, expressed concern over the rising cases of violence against the girl child in the state, saying “We don’t know when issues of domestic violence will come to an end in our region. It’s even sad to note that we have more cases of physical violence on children being perpetrated by women.The law is no respecter of persons and we are calling on the Bayelsa state command to quickly investigate this case and charge the suspect to court.”
Our correspondent also gathered that the gender desk of the state police command has taken charge of the case and has taken the child to the police clinic for evaluation while the case would be transferred to the state oolice headquarters.
Confirming the development, the spokesman of the state police command, Asinim Butswat, said the case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigations.
He said: “It is a case where the step mother use a hot knife to inflict bodily injuries on a 10years old step daughter. Investigation is ongoing.”
