By Praise Chinecherem
A Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court, sitting at the Chief Magistrate Court, Awka, has remanded Mrs Adachukwu Okafor, a lawyer in police custody for allegedly inflicting grevious injuries to her 11-year-old maid.
The suspect, a resident of Chris Igwilo Street, Akpaka GRA, 3-3 area of Onitsha, was accused of using hot knife and iron to inflict grievous injuries on the maid for allegedly touching her son’s private part while bathing him.
She was also said to had dragged the victim to her parents’ house, dumped her before fleeing to an unknown destination.
AnambraDaily reported that she was thereafter declared wanted by both federal and state Ministry of Women Affairs with a N20million bounty for anyone with useful information about her whereabouts.
She however surrendered herself to the Police days after where she denied responsibility for the injuries shown on the maid’s body in a viral video.
She was eventually arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Court, Awka, on Wednesday, February, 21, 2024, on a-two count charge, mainly, willful infliction of physical injuries on the body of one Happiness Nwafor an offence punishable under Section 4(1) of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition and Protection) Laws of Anambra State of Nigeria 2017.
The charge was read and interpreted to the defendant to the satisfaction of the Court; and the defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges.
AnambraDaily gathered that an application for bail on her behalf by her lawyer, Chijioke Nwankwo was turned down by the court and matter adjourned to 28th February, 2024 for ruling.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the court sitting, defendant council Barr Chijioke Nwankwo accused state Ministry of Women and Social Welfare of “doing trial by ordeal”, insisting it was not in the best interest of the case.
Asked why it took his client time to report to the police, Nwankwo denied being aware of any bounty placed on her, saying, “As soon as I was contacted for the job, I took the defendant to the police immediately.”
Reacting to the court ruling, Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo expressed confidence in the court to do justice to the matter.
She revealed that her Ministry would soon embark on media sensitization programme targeted at educating and enlightening the public about dangers and consequences of child abuse.
She urged members of the public to shun all forms of social vices in the society, especially, those vices that endanger the life of children, just as she enjoined them to be agents of positive social change.
Meanwhile, this paper gathered that the victim had since been discharged from the hospital and made appearance in court too.
