The Enugu State Government says it has moved Ukamaka Okonkwo, the 13-year-old girl rescued from ritual killing, to a facility for therapy and rehabilitation.
The Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development in Enugu State, Ngozi Enih, disclosed this to reporters on Sunday.
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PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported how Miss Okonkwo was rescued from a sewage pit where a native doctor, Onyeka Obu, had allegedly pushed her into for ritual purposes.
The incident happened on Monday at Umumba Ndiagu, a community in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria’s South-east.
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Apart from the girl, Mr Obu allegedly buried several people in the pit, including a pregnant woman.
But they had all died when the girl was rescued last Monday.
The native doctor’s full name is Levi Onyeka Obieze Obu. He is popularly known as Ozo Ezeani as well as “E dey play E dey show.”
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He was arrested, on Wednesday, by personnel of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) at Badagry-Seme Border Area of Lagos while he was fleeing Nigeria over the incident.
The NIS authorities later handed him over to the police for prosecution.
Rehabilitation and scholarship
Mrs Enih said Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State instructed that the girl be moved to a rehabilitation centre because of the trauma she must have passed through.
“We travelled to Ndiagu Umumba, Ezeagu LGA, today (Sunday) at the governor’s instance to meet with parents of Ukamaka, and to bring her to Enugu (Urban) where she will undergo the necessary therapy and be fully rehabilitated.
“You can imagine the level of trauma this young girl must have passed through. So, the government wants to ensure that she bounces back fully in the shortest possible time,” she said.
The commissioner said the governor has also awarded a scholarship to Miss Okonkwo that would see her through education from her present class to the university.
“The governor has also graciously awarded a scholarship to her, which is to see her through university education from her current class.
“This is just a way of reassuring her and her parents that they are not alone and to equally put smiles on their faces,” she stated.
“Government wants to ensure that she fulfils her glorious destiny because she is a destined child.”
Mrs Enih also said a government delegation visited the parents of another person whose body was recovered from the native doctor’s sewage pit.
The victim, Chimaobi Ezih, had gone missing after being abducted some weeks ago while he was returning from school in the community.
The commissioner said the delegation travelled to Agba Umana, a neighbouring community in the council area, to commiserate with the victim’s parents over his loss.
READ ALSO:Enugu Ritual Killing: Immigration hands over arrested native doctor to police
She said that the identity of the pregnant woman also found dead in the native doctor’s sewage pit was yet to be ascertained.
Security operatives on trail of all suspects
Mrs Enih assured that the government and security operatives were working to track down all suspects involved in the alleged ritual abductions and murders.
“That is the only way to appease the spirits and souls of the deceased and to get our society rid of such crimes,” she said.
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