Anambra First Lady, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has condemned the violent abuse of a child live-in maid by her guardian at Government Residential Area (GRA) Onitsha.
The governor’s wife, was reacting to a viral amateur video of a girl roughly between the ages of nine to ten years, who appeared with gory iron-stamp burns all over her body, said to have been allegedly inflicted by her guardian, Mrs Adachukwu Okafor.
The alleged culprit, now at large, is said to be living with the maid at her Akpaka, 33 G.R.A, Onitsha residence, and got enraged when the maid, who was bathing her child, mistakenly touched his private part.
It was then that Mrs Okafor said to be a legal practitioner and a pastor in a local church, used everything within her reach, including a charged laundry iron, to feast on the maid.
Speaking shortly after directing the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare to take custody of the child and begin immediate treatment on her wounds and also conduct tests to ascertain if she sustained internal injuries, Mrs Soludo described the guardian’s act as barbaric, and heinous and vowed to ensure that full justice is served.
She expressed deep sadness about the current condition of the girl and called on anyone who has information on how to get hold of the fleeing guardian to open up as a matter of conscience and right reasons.
The governor’s wife, while stating that the state remains a red zone for abusers and those who take every opportunity to pounce on the rights of women and children, noted that the government will leave no stone unturned in dealing with anyone who has no respect for human dignity.
Mrs Soludo further re-echoed her appeal for parents to take serious consideration of their child’s age before giving them out as maids or servants and to also know the real temperaments of their child’s guardian.