A 43-year-old evangelist, Christopher Sule, accused of torturing his two children, has been apprehended by the social welfare office of Jos South Local Government, and handed over to the police.

According to Mr Garba Mancha, the Social Welfare Officer, the office took the action after it discovered that the father had persistently used cable wires to beat his two children, aged eight and six.

“We found the children with deep wounds on their bodies; the situation was just horrible.”

Mancha told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), in Jos on Tuesday, that the children had endured the torture “for three years.”

“The shocking aspect is that even their mother did not report to anyone.”

He said that when the report was received, the welfare office summoned Sule and called in the police to take over the matter.

According to him, Sule attributed his actions to the poor academic performance of the children.

Other offences included alleged stealing, stubbornness and returning late, when sent on errands.

“The father, in his statement, confessed to using cable and antenna wires, as well as sticks, to beat the children,” Mancha said.

Mancha said that the mother also attributed the beatings to their poor performance in school as well as stubbornness.

The welfare officer, however, said that same marks were found on the back of the mother when a thorough check was carried out on her.

He said that Sule, however, denied beating the wife, but admitted that they fought when she slapped him.

“During the fight, I used the same wires on her,” he said.

Sule’s wife, Rachael, however denied being brutalised by her husband, but said that she had reported the persistent assault on the children, to family members without result.

Mancha quoted Rachael as describing her husband as “a very loving and caring man, who does not take kindly to poor academic performance and any misbehaviour by the children.” (NAN)

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