The police in Imo State have arrested a secondary school teacher, Mrs. Blessing Emmanuel, for allegedly dehumanizing her 12-year-old stepdaughter, Amarachi Emmanuel.
Mrs. Emmanuel was arrested on Tuesday following a complaint made by Owerri-based activist journalist, Chidiebube Okeoma, at the Owerri Area Command headquarters. Okeoma was alerted to the girl’s situation by two women, Eunice and Amarachi, who saw the young girl selling sachet water on the streets of Owerri, bearing visible injuries.
A video posted by Okeoma on social media, which has since gone viral, shows the child covered in bruises, scars, and machete cuts. Okeoma confirmed the arrest and stated that he took the girl to Umuguma General Hospital in Owerri, where she is receiving medical care.
Okeoma explained, “Amarachi Emmanuel is 12 years old. Her mother died in 2018 and her father married the suspect in 2019. They live in the Nekede area of Owerri. The girl and her two siblings have been out of school for years now. The woman commanded them to hawk sachet water for her every day and make returns while their mates are in school.
“The girl told me that her stepmom dehumanizes them. They sell pure water for her from morning till night and mostly go to bed hungry. The latest battering was because the girl said she cooked rice and ate without the woman’s permission, and on getting home, the woman battered her.”
Okeoma recounted how he took the girl to the Owerri Area Command, where the woman was arrested immediately. “In order to save the girl’s life, I took her to Umuguma General Hospital, where she was admitted. I have also enrolled her in the Imo State Health Insurance Scheme for vulnerable children in the state.”
He added, “I have involved the National Human Rights Commission, Owerri Municipal Council Welfare Department, and the Imo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
“Many human rights organizations have contacted me regarding this case. The Owerri branch of the Nigerian Bar Association has also contacted me. Various media organizations are now interested in the girl’s matter.
“Battering of children has no place in the 21st century. Police are investigating, and my request is that the woman be arraigned. She turned the girl and her siblings into slaves simply because their mother is late and their father is medically unstable.
“I want to get the girl and her siblings off the streets. My idea is to enroll her in a school, along with her siblings. Currently, they live in a shanty. They will need a decent apartment once she gets back on her feet.
“Her laps, eyes, vagina, left leg, right hand, and stomach were battered with burns and machete cuts. Little Amarachi Emmanuel needs all of us now. Let us show her that humanity is not wicked. There are compassionate Nigerians all over.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the police in the state, Henry Okoye, disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, has ordered a thorough investigation and ensured that the right processes are followed in the case.
