The Anambra State Police Command has dragged one Mrs Charity Effiong to court for allegedly battering her 12-year-old housemaid, Precious Nwali with red pepper.

The incident which took place at Nzekwe Street, near Akwata Meat Market, Awka saw the victim allegedly driven out of the house at about 10.30pm.

Nwali the primary four pupils who was battered by her mistress for allegedly stealing her N26,000 hails from Ebony state and was linked to Mrs. Effiong by one Pastor Effiong Inyang.

The mistress, Daily Sun gathered stripped naked maid and applied red pepper on her private part and later drove her away from the house late in the night.

She was later found by a good Samaritan while wandering and crying along the market.

It was gathered yesterday that police detained the mistress came to complain that the girl stole her money, on the order of the DPO in charge of the Central Police Station, Awka.

The source said, “It was not long after the matter was reported in the police station that the madam appeared, claiming the housemaid was abducted.”

But confirming the incident the State Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Mohammed (SP), said the suspect who denied applying pepper in the victim’s private part has been dragged to court.

The suspect he said claimed that the victim stole the sum of N26,000 from her house, and that she removed her undies in the course of searching for the money.

Haruna said, “She said the girl stole her N26,000 which led her to remove her pant so she can see whether she hid the money inside her pant.”

The teenager who also sustained series of marks on her body, while narrating her ordeal to newsmen said she had severally suffered maltreatment in the hands of her mistress.

She said, “She always flogs me with cable wire. She has her own children but she hardly beats them nor sends them to any errand.”

On her part, the woman that picked her up, Mrs. Amaka Okoye, explained that it took her about 30 minutes to wash off the grinded pepper in the girl’s private part.

Pastor Effiong Inyang the linker, who disclosed that the victim’s stay with the mistress was on the request of her parents due to the family’s predicament, said, “All her siblings are being given out because her parents are struggling to survive due to the condition of the family.

“The father has been under severe pain having sustained injuries after several falls from the palm tree.”

Inyang disclosed that he had contacted the victim’s parents and they had requested she be brought back to them.

Secretary, Anambra State Child Protection Network, Lady Hope Okoye, describing the action as a total violation to the state child right act of 2004 said, “Stuffing Cameroon pepper in the girl’s private part is another level of abuse which has psychological, physical and emotional consequences.” (Daily Sun)

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