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| Nigeria Police Force |
The police command in Plateau State confirmed the arrest and detention of a female suspect on Thursday in Jos for allegedly torturing and killing her maid, a young girl by the name of Margaret Joshua.
The spokesperson for the command, DSP Alfred Alabo, who confirmed the arrest, stated that the investigation was still ongoing and that the suspect would soon face charges in court.
The alleged victim was allegedly submerged in hot water until her buttocks were severely burned by the suspect, a microbiologist who works at one of the Vom research institutes and resides in K-Vom, Jos South Local Government Area.
Investigations showed that Ms. Joshua, a native of Kebbi State who had fled from community insecurity, had been brought to Jos by a purported helper who actually intended for her to work as a maid in the suspect's residence.
The suspect, a mother of two, had made a promise to enrol the victim in school, but did not do so, rather, indulged in daily beating of the girl until it resulted in her death.
It was further gathered that after the recent beating, the little girl was forced to sit in a container filled with hot water which severely burnt her buttocks and private parts.
Meanwhile Grace Pam, Plateau State coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), whose office was following up on the case, told NAN that based on the scars and wounds on the girls body, her guardians must have subjected her to series of torture during the period she stayed with them.
“Our attention was called about the situation on Monday, by a staff of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), who said that an 11-year-old girl had been seriously beaten up and injured by her guardian.
“On getting to the hospital we saw several old and new scars, and injuries on her entire body. We were told that she was taken to Mandela hospital in K-Vom, but was referred to JUTH due to the severity of her wounds.
“When we met the suspect at the police station where she was initially detained, she claimed that the girl used to masturbate, and so she was beating her to serve as punishment to make her stop.
“She claimed she did not know what used to come over her each time she beat the girl because she quickly regrets it after the act.
“The suspect also claimed that the deceased fell into hot water after which she ran out of the house and did not return for almost 24 hours later,” she said.
Mrs Pam explained that the NHRC however, gathered that someone saw the traumatised girl on the street, and took her to the police station at K-Vom, after which she was taken to the hospital, and sadly died 24 hours later.
A neighbour to the suspect, Kaneng John, however, confirmed that it was not the first time the suspect would assault the girl.
Mrs John said concerned neighbours had on many occasions reported the suspect to the Police, and was ordered to return the victim to her parents, but she refused until she ended the girl’s life.
(NAN)