Teen thrown into burning fire in Ebonyi for stealing rice

A 13-year-old boy, Ifeanyi Umoke was on Friday tied and thrown into a burning refuse dump for al­legedly stealing rice in a market.

Umoke hails from Ini­kiri Benard vil­lage in Effium community in Ohaukwu Local Govern­ment Area of Ebonyi State.

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The chairman, for Human Rights Defenders (HURIDE), Eb­onyi State chapter, Sampson Oko Nweke disclosed this to journal­ists in Abakaliki.

Nweke explained that the perpetrators alleged that the victim was a notorious kleptomaniac.

Daily Trust gathered that the mother of Umoke was no more alive, while his father who is still living is bedrid­den due to chronic mental illness.

According to the chairman of HURIDE, the perpetrators, Paul Ifere Amah and Paul Nweke of the same village, after committing the crime, saw the critical condition of their victim, abandoned him to groan to death.

“It took the in­tervention of sympathisers to rush him to AMURT Hos­pital there in Effium. But, due to the severity of the burnt, the boy was declined treatment.

Efforts were thereafter made to bring him to AE-FETHA 2 where he is cur­rently battling between life and death.

”So the little boy is a 13-year-old Master Ifeanyi Umoke from Inikiri Benard vil­lage in Effium community, Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State.

“Few days ago, the Hu­man Rights Defenders (HURIDE) got a call from George Etamesor of the HRCRC over this grave abuse on this poor child.

“Because he was caught trying to steal some rice in their village market, he was tied up, thrown into burn­ing fire in a refuse dump in the market and allowed to roast like a goat.

“The perpetrators, Paul Ifere Amah and Paul Nweke of the same village, after committing this evil, saw the critical condition of their victim, yet they abandoned him to groan to death.

“It took the intervention of sympathisers to rush him to AMURT Hospital there in Effium. But, due to the severity of the dam­ages, the boy was declined treatment.

“But at present he is on admission at Alex-Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki.”