An eight-year-old boy has been rescued from his aunt after she scarred him with hot iron because he ate the 50 Naira groundnut she left in the house at Anantigha, Calabar South.
According to Vanguard, the incident happened on Sunday after the aunt of the boy returned from Sunday service, only to discover that the groundnut she left at home was gone.
She was said to have confronted the boy about the missing groundnut, before plugging an electric iron and used it to burn the child’s back and buttocks. When she was done, she refused to give him food.
Following the boy’s rescue, old scars were found on his body and fingers, a sign that his aunt has been abusing since he started living with her about three years ago with his other siblings.
Confirming the report to newsmen on Monday, August 17, the Principal Counsel, Basic Rights Initiative, James Ibor revealed that their office had received a distress call from Girl Power Initiative, GPI, that a lady had been assaulting her nephew with a hot iron, burning stove and other hot objects.
Ibor said the incident was not the first time on the child base on their findings after the N50 left-over groundnut incident.
“From what the boy has told us, which is also very visible, he has been tortured and traumatised, and the boy is in serious pains. From here we are atking him to a medical facility where he can get adequate care,” Ibor revealed.
“We have written to the Police and the state Ministry of Humanities and Social Welfare to enable us take good care of him in our own shelter home, because we cannot allow the child to go back to the aunty again.
“We have also invited the father, because the mother is late. Further actions can be taken as he and two of his siblings live with the said aunty.
“It is unfortunate that this kind of dastardly act and injury can be inflicted on a child. Even if he ate the groundnut, there is no justification for this kind of wickedness.”
KanyiDaily recalls that the police had also arrested a man for burning a 10-year-old boy’s buttocks with hot knife because he licked his mum’s tea in Ogun.