The Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Anambra State, Mrs Ify Obinabo, has rescued a 17-year-old girl from her father who wanted to use her for ritual.
The girl, who hails from Nise town in Awka South LGA, is said to be the step-daughter of the suspect, Mr Sunday Ezeh, a traditionalist and an alleged ritualist.
The commissioner, who brought the victim to the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital, Amaku Awka, said she was informed about the girl’s travails by some indigenes of Nise community.
Narrating her ideal, the victim said she was bounded hands and feet by her step-father and locked up in a room for one month without food for allegedly messing up the compound with her faeces.
The suspect, Ezeh, however, said that he merely punished his disobedient step-daughter for desecrating his compound with faeces which was against his traditional belief and practice.
He, however, pleaded for pardon during arrest by vigilantes but was handed over to the police.
Speaking further, the commissioner explained that due to the sensitivity of the case, her office had to collaborate with vigilantes in apprehending the offender before handing him over to the police.
She noted that the state government had zero tolerance for any form of crime, warning that anyone caught committing one would be severely dealt with.
She, therefore, warned people to desist from any form of harmful traditional practices against girls, children and women.
Join Daily Trust WhatsApp Community For Quick Access To News and Happenings Around You.
