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THERE seems to be no end to the application of the local proverb which says that a dog knows how to breastfeed its pup while pouncing on the grasscutter?s, especially in homes with step parenthood in the country. All too often, especially in the cases of minors whose mothers are deceased, there are reports of cruel treatment by stepmothers. In some cases, the fathers of these minors either deliberately overlook the cruelty their own children are being subjected to, perhaps under the manipulative wiles of the abusers, or even take active parts in dehumanising them. It is as if the children were born to suffer. This is the feeling fostered by the story of the untrammeled cruelty that took place in Imo State recently, where a yet to-be-identified woman reportedly set her stepdaughter on fire for, of all things, allegedly eating food without her permission! According to reports, the alleged abuser, who is yet to give birth, had been abusing the minor for a long time before the latest incident, taking advantage of the fact that her mother is deceased. The victim is 12-year-old Amarachi Emmanuel, and the incident happened in Nekede, a town in Owerri West Local Government Area of the state.

The pictures of the scarred body of the victim, which have since gone viral on social media, are spectacularly gory: it is as if the minor was pulled from a burning oven. She was burnt extremely badly in her hands, legs and genital area, and no parent who claims sanity can behold those pictures without suffering psychological torture. According to the victim, the suspect habitually Tortured her with a knife, a cutlass and other harmful objects. The victim and her siblings reportedly lost their mother before their father married the suspect, who is reported to be a teacher. A journalist and activist based in the state, Chidiebube Okeoman, who confirmed the incident in a series of Facebook posts on Tuesday, October 8, said the suspect had been arrested. According to the journalist, the victim had been admitted to a hospital for immediate medical treatment. Okekeoman wrote: ?Just left Umuguma General Hospital in Owerri and I am happy to announce that little Amarachi Emmanuel, 12, whose stepmother disfigured for eating food without her permission, has been admitted. This happened after several hours of delay.? The journalist added that one Dr Uche Ewelike intervened and ensured that the victim was given a bed space, while Ikenga John Mayor Mbubaudele, the Deputy Director, Social welfare, of the Owerri Municipal Council, also took an active interest in the case. He said that he ensured that the victim and her sister got badly needed supplies from a nearby supermarket. He also volunteered the heartbreaking information that the victim and her sister had been out of school for two years.

This is a clear case of attempted murder. Nothing less can be ascribed to the dastardly incident. There is no way someone who pushed a minor into burning flames can escape the charge of trying to kill her. To say the least, this is an act of wickedness in the extreme. It is hard to imagine a situation in which an adult could have survived such cruelty, let alone a minor. Why subject a child to such horror? If the suspect aimed to correct the victim, as it would have been well within her rights to do, by what logic did she decide on the use of weapons such as a knife, a cutlass and other harmful objects? Indeed, can she point to a situation under the laws of the land where even judges ever asked convicts to be punished with knives and cutlasses? What crime could a minor, a person whose cognitive and other abilities are still being developed and whose decisions can therefore not be expected to reflect the sophistication associated with adulthood, have committed to deserve such horrific treatment? Indeed, now that she is facing the prospect of punishment for her alleged crime, what specific point has the suspect succeeded in making?

This story becomes even more perplexing when the point is considered that the suspect is a teacher. A teacher, whether or not she is yet to give birth, is trained to be a mother and carer. A teacher is expected to stand in the place of the actual parents of the children put under her care, and to nurture and to guide them in the right path. She is expected to be firm but not hurtful; patient, kind and considerate, nurturing an atmosphere that is conducive to learning. Now, by what logic is a termagant who allegedly tortured a minor with dangerous weapons and pushed her into a fire be considered a good teacher? Is there any mechanism that can convert a person who commits such horrific crimes on the homestead into a saint just because (s)he is in a school environment? It would certainly be interesting to unearth the school where the suspect in this case works and hear what her students have to say about her. The probability is high that she has not been a model teacher, and that she may have been abusive to young children. In any case, since the name of her victim is already in the public domain, the public has the right to know her name.

It Is difficult, judging by present evidence, to assume that Amarachi?s father is a dutiful and caring parent. It is doubtful that she and her sister would have suffered the indignity of being out of school for an extended period and being treated worse than animals in their own home if their father had acted responsibly. Responsible fathers protect their children under any circumstances. They do not nurture a situation that would embolden an abuser to graduate from torturing them to literally trying to execute them in a fit of bestial rage. It is also apposite to ask, given the dynamics of the African family system, where the relations of the deceased mother of the abused minors are. Had they taken the pain of at least checking up on the children from time to time, or did they just abandon them because their mother is no more? Whatever is the case, it is certain that this is a case that the police must investigate thoroughly and prosecute diligently. We also call on the Imo State government to sustain an active interest in this case and ensure that justice is done. The point has to be made that cruel treatment of children, or indeed of anybody else, will not be tolerated in Imo State. The government should also consider taking up responsibility for the education of the concerned children.

We commend the journalist who brought this issue to public attention and tried within his limited means to ensure some level of care for the affected children. We deem such actions to be quite heroic and worthy of emulation. (Nigerian Tribune Editorial)

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