Again, Anambra govt vows to prosecute woman accused of assaulting teenager with hot iron

The Anambra State Government has restated its earlier resolve to prosecute a woman accused of assaulting a teenage girl with a hot electric iron.

The Commissioner for Education in Anambra State, Ngozi Chuma-Udeh, gave the assurance on Wednesday in an exclusive interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

This newspaper earlier reported that the suspect, Osinachi Edeh, allegedly attacked her housemaid, Miracle Amah, a 17-year-old girl.

The incident happened on 3 February in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, which prompted police in the state to arrest the 29-year-old suspect.

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The incident became public after the victim, a JSS III student of Community Secondary School Agulu Awka, was seen in the school with burns on her body.

Previous promises to prosecute

PREMIUM TIMES reported that on 4 February, Mrs Chuma-Udeh, a professor, promised to ensure justice in the matter by prosecuting the suspect.

“The state government will not tolerate the abuse of children under any circumstances,” she had said.

Again, on 20 February, the commissioner, while addressing the suspect who was brought to her office, restated the state government’s commitment to prosecute the suspect.

“The suspect will be arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction for brutalising the victim. This is to serve as a deterrent to others who might be engaging in such acts.

“This reaffirms the resolve of the state governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, to ensure the welfare and safety of every child in Anambra schools.

“The interest of Mr Governor in this matter is to ensure that every child in Anambra is adequately protected from abuse,” she said.

“The suspect must be arraigned before the court to serve as a deterrent to others who may intend to engage in similar acts of brutalising children, as part of the government’s continuous commitment to the welfare and safety of students and pupils in the state,” the commissioner added.

Another promise

PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mrs Chuma-Udeh on Wednesday and asked her if the suspect’s prosecution has begun as earlier promised.

“We are on it,” she responded.

When asked to specifically confirm if prosecution of the suspect had begun, she replied: “I think so. We’re on it.”

The commissioner then argued that the Nigerian law has rules and that the government was making efforts to “follow the rules to the letter.”

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This is the third time that the Anambra State Government, through the education commissioner, has made a vow to prosecute the suspect who assaulted the teenager since 3 February.

No obstruction of justice

PREMIUM TIMES asked the commissioner if anything was obstructing or delaying the prosecution of the suspect.

“No. None for now,” she replied.

The commissioner, however, did not respond when asked to confirm if the suspect had been charged or arraigned before any court for prosecution, since there was no obstruction.