Personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, NSCDC, in Abia State have rescued a teenage girl from Umuokoro Obinkita in Arochukwu Local Government Area, simply identified as Ada who was chained by the neck and limbs and locked away in their house by her mother.
The rescue according to NSCDC source followed a tip-off and support from the Vicar Hope Foundation and the Child Protection Network.
According to the the Public Relations Officer of NSCDC, Mr. Ndukwe, the rescue was effected after 24 hours of surveillance mounted at the victim’s home.
He said that the State Commandant of the Civil Defense Corps had already directed a thorough investigation of the incident
Meanwhile, the wife of the Governor, Dr. Mrs Nkechi Ikpeazu, and owner of Vicar Hope Foundation, has taken custody of the victim.
Mrs. Ikpeazu said her Foundation took custody of the abused girl in order to facilitate expert psychiatric evaluation to ascertain her condition and provide treatment.
The First Lady who spoke through her Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Chika Ojiegbe, said there was no excuse for the inhuman treatment meted to the teenager by her parent.
Mrs. Ikpeazu argued that the girl’s parent should have sought medical help for her if truly the claim that the victim had poor mental health were true.
The First Lady insisted that child abuse should not be tolerated no matter the circumstance.
Newsmen recall that rumours of the plight of the teenage girl first went public via social media platform although with sketchy details of the incidence.
According to Ojiegbe, the First Lady who is also the Chairman of the State Action Committee on Gender based violence, as soon as her attention was drawn to the viral report, ordered an investigation of the online posts to unravel the facts, and rescue the child.
The mother of the victim who gave her name as Blessing was arrested during the rescue operation.
In an interview with newsmen, the suspect claimed that her daughter had a mental challenge and that she had to chain her to prevent her from wandering off.
Commenting on the sad development, Apostle Innocent Akomas of the Child Protection Network Abia State, who collaborated in effecting the rescue of the girl, condemed the girl’s mother, saying her claims were not enough excuse to dehumanise her daughter.
He commended the Civil Defense Corps for its swift response the moment the Vicar Hope Foundation and the Child Protection Network called upon them. (Saturday Vanguard)
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