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By Madu Obi
There was a general outcry at the 3 3 area of Onitsha on Wednesday following the level of abuse meted against a house girl by her guardian, Adachukwu Okafor, who claimed to be a lawyer and pastor.
Residents of the area, who trouped out of the streets with the girl, condemned the action of the lawyer and urged security operatives to bring her to book.
The mother of the badly battered girl, allegedly with hot iron on all parts of her body, said she gave the girl to her sister's daughter, who is the lawyer, to live with, lamenting that she had taken a wrong decision.
The girl's offense was that she mistakenly touched the penis of the lawyer's little son while bathing him.
As the neighbours were condemning the action of the lawyer, who is also a pastor in a pentecostal church, she drove out of her house and has not been sighted since then.
The wife of the Anambra State governor, Mrs Nonye Soludo, has already waded into the matter as she directed the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare to take custody of the child and begin immediate treatment of her wounds.
She also urged officials of the Ministry to conduct tests to ascertain if she sustained internal injuries from the burns.
Describing the action of the woman as barbaric, Mrs Soludo vowed to ensure that justice is served.
She expressed deep sadness about the current condition of the girl and called on anyone who had information on how to get hold of the fleeing guardian to open up as a matter of conscience and right reasoning.
Insisting that Anambra State remains a no go area for child abuse, she said that government would leave no stone unturned in dealing with anyone who had no respect for human dignity.
She, however, appealed to parents to take serious consideration of their child’s age before giving them out as maids and to also know the temperament of their child’s guardian before giving out their children.
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