Police arrest man for locking up 2-year old child in Delta

By PAUL OSUYI, Asaba

A middle-aged man identified as Wisdom has been arrested by the police in Delta State, over alleged inhuman treatment meted on his two-year old child, Zino.

The suspect, in connivance with his mistress, was said to locked up the victim in a dark room in the family’s apartment located at 113 Okumagba Avenue, Deco Road, Warri.

Zino, it was learnt, was denied of food and other basic needs until he was recently rescued.

A right activist, Victor Ojieh informed that Zino was usually beaten up allegedly by his father and stepmother each time he received help from neighbours.

“They locked him up in a dark room and beat him up when he received help from neighbours. Neighbours are now afraid so they don’t end up killing him.

“Police from ‘B’ Division station on Sunday morning arrested the father, Mr Wisdom. We are also taking him to family court before the end of this week. The infant is now hospitalized at Warri,

“I commend all the people that assisted us to ensure that the man was arrested, since Saturday evening we all swung into action and this early morning Sunday we got him arrested,” Ojieh said.

However, our correspondent was yet to confirm the arrest ats at the time of filing this report, as the Public Relations Officer of the state police command, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya ignored calls to her mobile phone.

But the Executive Assistant on Girl Child to the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Bridget Anyafulu, said the state government is implementing the child right law, adding that the welfare of any child in the state remained paramount.

“The child is in the hospital right now, receiving treatment and we have to be sure that he is in government hospital because the child is still under five and no payment will be made under 0-5 free medical programme of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

“If the family is vulnerable, it is a different thing because state has a way of managing such vulnerable family but where adults decide to maltreat a child in Delta State, the state will want to found out why because the life of that child is critical whether the father is there or not.

“Every child count in Delta state. We don’t want to hear that a child is suffering anywhere even if the child is living with the stepmother. It is the duty of that stepmother to be a good care giver to that child,” she explained. (Sunday Sun)