The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, Akwa Ibom Command said it had rescued one 12-year-old girl, Bright Sunday who had been locked up in a dilapidated building and tortured by her father for two years in Ikot Ukporo Idoro village, Ibiono Ibom local government area of the state.
The victim’s father, Ndifreke Sunday, 38 years old, and stepmother, Victory Sunday, 28 years old, accused her of witchcraft, said the State Commandant of NSCDC, Mr Eluyemi Eluwade, who briefed newsmen in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, on Saturday.
He said, “The suspects’ rescue and subsequent arrest were in response to a complaint from the Ministry of Justice.
He said the father and stepmother of the victim were taken into custody on the grounds of child deprivation and abuse under Section 10 of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Law 2020.
According to the statement, “The arrest was made on Tuesday, September 10 at Ikot Ukporo Idoro Village in Ibiono Ibom LGA of Akwa Ibom State, following a complaint received from the Ministry of Justice about the suspect subjecting his daughter to inhumane treatment.”
“The suspects admitted to locking up the child because she confessed to being a witch and responsible for his afflictions.”
The woman narrated her ordeal, saying she was locked up in a shabby room, refused food and bathing, and beatings from her stepmother were constant.
The victim went on to say that she was fed once every two days, bathed no more than twice a month, and she was refused schooling.
The state commandant decried the young girl’s treatment as brutal, insensitive, and terrible.
He warned parents to desist from such practices under any guise as the police would not relent in arresting such perpetrators.
The commandant said that the girl had since been transferred to the Gender-Based Violence Shelter Home for care and rehabilitation while the suspects would be handed over to the competent prosecuting agency for further action.
