By Douglas Okoro
Abakaliki – A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Child Protection Network (CPN), says it will collaborate with the police to ensure justice for a four-year-old girl allegedly defied by the father in Ebonyi.
Mrs Flora Egwu, CPN Coordinator, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Abakaliki.
She appealed to the Nigeria Police to expedite investigation in the incident.
According to Egwu, CPN is a network of Civil Society Organisations involved in the fight against all forms of sexual abuse and molestations against children, particularly the girl-child.
She said that the organisation would collaborate with the police to fast-track investigation of the matter.
Egwu said that the incident happened at Mgbo-Agbaja in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi some weeks ago.
She said that it took the intervention of a Catholic sister working at one of the mission hospitals in the area before the suspect was arrested.
She explained that the suspect’s arrest followed the Rev. sister’s report of the matter to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), that waded into the matter and consequently reported the incident at the Izzi Divisional Police Headquarters.
“The NHRC informed our network about this incident and we had to wade into the matter; right now we are working with the divisional police to transfer the case file and the suspect to the State Police Headquarters for proper investigation.
“We spoke with the 26-year-old mother of the victim and she narrated the incident and why she did not immediately report the matter to the police or any one.”
Egwu quoted the victim’s mother as saying: “I was in the house in the night, around 1.00 am, and I heard my daughter crying and I quickly woke up and turned to see my daughter sitting down crying profusely and my husband was sitting looking at her.
” I asked my husband what happened, why is she crying that way? And he asked me if I have malaria, does he know why she is crying, that I should go and sleep.
” I carried my daughter, but I didn’t suspect that my husband has sexually violated her.
“My daughter kept crying all through the night until morning, and as she cried she was pointing at her tommy that it is paining her and I looked at her ‘private’ part and saw that her pant was stained.
“I removed her pants and was shocked to see a ‘hole’ and lacerations all over her pubic area.
“My husband left the house early that morning for his place of work and I did not know what to do, but I used hot water to massage the lacerated areas.
“When my husband returned and I demanded to know what he did to our daughter, he threatened to kill me if I should speak or say anything to that effect.”
Egwu said that the helpless 26-year-old mother of five did not know what to do until the victim began to manifest signs of sexually transmitted infection.
“It was at this stage that she exposed the child’s body to her husband, confronted him for his reluctance to take the child to hospital for medical diagnosis and treatment.
“Medical report confirmed that the child has been sexually molested and that she has been infected with STI due to late medical attention.
“She was treated and discharged, but the problem still continued until the mother reported to a Rev. sister living around the area who took the child to a mission hospital.
“The Rev. sister reported the matter to the NHRC who informed our organisation; and the network has vowed to get justice for the victim,” Egwu said.
Mrs Loveth Odah, Ebonyi Police Command Public Relations Officer, when contacted said the command was yet to receive report on the incident.
“I am not aware of the matter, but I will send signal to Izzi Divisional Police Officer,” she said.
Egwu called on victims of sexual violence and their relatives to speak out and always report rape and other sexual offences to the police and other law enforcement agencies.
(NAN)
