Soludo, Ohanaenye under heat as Anambra is dubbed ‘Capital of Child Abuse’
BY ORIAKU IJELE
Politicians of Anambra origin, especially the governor, Prof Charles Soludo, Uju Ohanenye, the minister of Women Affairs, and Ify Obinabo, Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare have come under intense criticism following the state’s increasing notoriety as regards brutality on maids or domestic servants.
This is coming on the heels of another case of abuse of domestic servant by a nursing mother at Amawbia, Anambra State, who subjected her under-aged house-help to unimaginable beating, with a promise to make financial restitution, a situation that attracted the attention of many Nigerians who have challenged the governor and all other highly placed politicians of Anambra origin to ensure that immediate justice is gotten for the minor, whose gory photos infuriated many Nigerians.
Although the nursing mother and her husband have offered to pay N500,000 as restitution for their alleged deeds, many Nigerians are calling on the governor to use his good offices to make sure that this particular case of child brutality is not swept under the carpet.
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Programme Officer at Child Watch Africa, Tim Mbonu told Saturday Times that Anambra state is fast turning to a safe haven for women brutalising their house helps because the previous culprits have not been adequately punished to deter re-occurrence. “The governor needs to look into the incessant complaints of brutality to maids by Anambra women. It is a pity that these incidents have been recurring because the previous culprits have been let off the hook. Until someone is made to pay the adequate price of this demeanour, more Anambra women will continue in this ugly trajectory. So it is left for the governor and his officials to ensure that this ugly trend is nipped in the bud.”
The submission was the same at various online fora where the latest incident has formed a subject of discourse. One respondent said: “Anambra again! What exactly is wrong with these women? It’s like a competition amongst them whoever maltreated their maid would win the trophy? Why are mothers who are supposed to be endowed with maternal sympathy and protective instincts be this cruel? God, we need you because the entire world is changing but not positively, the bad in almost all aspects of human lives and character overlap the good. But I stand firmly in my belief that there’s nothing and no one who’s above your power my God. Please help us. Do not judge all by the evil deeds of others.”
Another respondent said: “Once a society starts exposing all the evil within it, in transparent manner, that society is on its way for liberalisation and for advancement. Please encourage your states to speak up, setup specialised ministry for these evils in our society.”
Saturday Times notes that over 80% of cases of maid brutality in recent times have women of Anambra state as culprits.
Two days earlier at Onitsha, reports of brutality on 11 year old Happiness Nwafor, whose madam beat with broken bottles and hot electric iron dominated the online space with so much outrage.
