A 12-year-old girl, Bright Sunday, who was allegedly subjected to two years of severe torture by her father and stepmother, has been rescued by operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Akwa Ibom.
The rescue followed a complaint from the State Ministry of Justice, prompting swift action from the security agency.
The Akwa Ibom State Commandant of the NSCDC, Mr Eluyemi Eluwade, disclosed details of the case to newsmen on Saturday in Uyo, the state capital.
Eluwade confirmed that the girl’s father, Ndifreke Sunday, and her stepmother, Victory Sunday, both from Ikot Ukporo Idoro Village in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area, had been arrested for their involvement in the abuse.
The father and stepmother allegedly locked up the girl in a dilapidated building, claiming she was a witch responsible for her father’s misfortunes.
“The suspects admitted to locking up the child because she confessed to being a witch and responsible for his afflictions,” Eluwade revealed.
The girl was denied food and regular bathing and subjected to constant beatings by her stepmother. “I was fed once in two days, allowed to bathe only twice a month, and was never allowed to go to school,” the victim recounted, lamenting her ordeal.
The NSCDC condemned the treatment of the girl as “barbaric and callous” and warned that such acts would not go unpunished.
The suspects have been handed over to the appropriate authorities for prosecution, while the victim has been placed in a Gender-Based Violence Shelter Home for care and rehabilitation.
