The Enugu State House of Assembly has condemned the brutal abuse and torture of a minor, Miss Happiness Nwafor by her guardian Mrs. Adachukwu Cukelu Okafor.
The case which has gone viral on social media was presented to the 8th Assembly through a motion of urgent public importance moved by Anthony Nwankwo, a member representing Awgu South Constituency.
The motion co-sponsored by 8 other members of the House described the act as a crime against humanity stating that such an act of violence against a vulnerable person is not only unacceptable but demands swift and decisive action for justice to reign.
Expressing the displeasure and pains of his constituents at the ill-treatment meted to their daughter, Nwankwo recounted the sordid ordeal the minor passed through in her guardian’s hand.
Mr. Speaker Sir, Honourable Colleagues, Mrs. Adachukwu Chukelu Okafor an indigene of Anambra State and a self-acclaimed lawyer who ought to know better and strive through a concerted effort to propagate and promote the rights of a child as enshrined in child rights law and other conventions is the perpetrator of this heinous crime against a vulnerable child whom she is meant to protect and an infraction on the law which she is meant to uphold What an irony
“Mrs. Adachukwu Cukelu Okafor, guardian to Miss Happiness Nwafor instead of disciplining the child with love, heated a knife on fire and with it burnt the face, buttocks, vaginal, and thighs of the eleven-year-old girl.”
“Furthermore, she went about brandishing herself as a lawyer and saying that nothing will happen to her because she knows that Happiness is a minor and from a poor background and cannot fight for her right.”
In the prayers, the Speaker, Rt. Hon Uche Ugwu directs a letter be written to the AIG of Police Zone 13 to thoroughly investigate the brutal abuse and torture of the minor, Miss Happiness Nwafor to make sure that justice prevails; zone 13 covers both Enugu and Anambra state.
The House also directs the Commissioner of the Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development to follow up on the case to avert possible subversion of justice and report the progress of the case to the House.
They further urged the media to sensitize the public on the need to stand together against all forms of violence and abuse especially as it concerns a minor, prioritize the safety and wellbeing of every child.
The House then calls on the Enugu State Government to grant Miss Happiness Nwafor a scholarship and all possible forms of rehabilitation from her traumatic experience.
The Child’s Rights Law and other international conventions provide that children must be protected from all forms of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, physical, mental, sexual abuse, neglect, and maltreatment.
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