A DISTURBING case of child abuse has emerged from Lagos, where a couple has been arrested over the death of their 10-year-old adopted daughter, identified as Faith.
The incident occurred in the Igando area of Lagos state, on April 26, where the couple identified as Paul Onyeama and Adline Ogbonna have been accused of subjecting the child to repeated physical abuse.
According to local accounts, the child was reportedly subjected to frequent assaults and made to carry out strenuous errands despite being ill for two weeks.
By Monday, reports indicated that the situation had worsened the previous day, when the couple allegedly inflicted a severe beating on the already ill child, ultimately resulting in her death, according to a resident who spoke with PUNCH.
The resident said, “The couple had adopted a 10-year-old girl. They had been consistently maltreating and assaulting the child, while also sending her on unnecessary errands.
“I was informed that the girl had been sick for about two weeks, yet the abuse continued. Yesterday, both the husband and wife allegedly beat the child severely despite her condition, and sadly, she died.”
According to reports, the suspects reportedly took the child to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. Local youths, angered by the incident, apprehended both the woman and later the husband, who was said to have gone out to arrange disposal of the body.
Residents raised the alarm after noticing the child was missing, which led to the discovery of her death and the case being reported to the police.
Police Officers responded and have arrested the couple.
Although the suspects claimed the child died while receiving treatment, preliminary findings showed she was already dead before being taken to the hospital.
Police officials confirmed that investigation is underway to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident. The body of the deceased has reportedly been taken for examination as part of the inquiry.
The ICIR reports that child abuse remains a pervasive crisis in Nigeria, with roughly six out of ten children experiencing some form of physical, emotional, or sexual violence before clocking 18. While legal frameworks like the Child Rights Act (2003) exist to protect minors, their effectiveness is often hampered by poor enforcement, poverty, and deep-seated cultural norms that allow certain abuses to go unreported.
Recently, a two-year-old pupil, Wynne Akekue, died under suspicious circumstances at a school in Port Harcourt. The incident led to the suspension of the school’s operations.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recently documented disturbing cases where parents subjected their children to extreme torture and starvation, under the guise of “corporal punishment,” which often escalated to the point of causing life-threatening injuries or even death.