A 32-year-old Nigerian mother of three has been arrested and detained by the Tesano Divisional Police Command over the callous abuse of her 10-year-old niece, Esther Toby, a class 5 pupil of New Jerusalem International School at Tabora in Accra.
Chinyere Toby Oburoh, the victim’s aunt, on Friday, April 29, 2011, became offended over a trivial issue and slapped little Esther’s face.
Esther, who dodged a second slap, got her auntie more infuriated, leading to the woman pouring hot water meant to prepare ‘eba,’ a common staple prepared with gari, on her.
Esther, narrating her story, told the Tesano Police that Auntie Chinyere, who was then boiling water to prepare ‘eba’, went to the kitchen, brought out a bowl of hot water and poured it on her back.
But Chinyere’s husband, Kingsley Oburoh, who was arrested alongside his wife for abetment, told police the bruises on the back of his ‘daughter’ were sores resulting from prickly heat. “She and her mother confirmed to me that it is heat rashes,” Kingsley told police.
Kingsley said he was not in the house when the incident took place but when he returned and saw the girl’s condition and asked what the problem was, he was simply told by his wife and the girl that the blisters were heat rashes.
When police indicated that the child would be sent back to her home country Nigeria, Kingsley said Esther was better off in their care since they gave her motherly and fatherly attention.
Chinyere however said she did not know what came over her and that she only threw the water kettle at her niece. She noted that she did not intend to harm her and has since apologized to her.
She pleaded with the police for leniency since she had repented and would never do that again. The Tesano Divisional Commander, ACP Emmanuel Bossoh, said the Headmistress of New Jerusalem International School at Tabora reported to his unit yesterday that Esther’s bruises were noticed by some of her mates while playing.
When she was quizzed, she narrated her ordeal to the mistress who then invited her guardians to the school. A verbal agreement was reached that Esther live with the mistress till she recovered.
However, in the afternoon of yesterday, Chinyere went to the school to rescind her decision, asking the mistress to hand over Esther to her because she was best placed to take good care of her.
The mistress, who did not take kindly to her decision, refused her request but Chinyere would not leave.
In the ensuing confrontation, the mistress decided to report to the police to take custody of the girl. Esther confirmed to the police that several other marks including a scar on her wrist were inflicted on her by her Auntie Chinyere with a knife.
The Divisional Commander told Daily Guide that Chinyere’s three male children were never scolded for any offence but she always found faults with her niece and abuses her at the slightest provocation.
Kingsley Oburoh has since been granted a self-recognizance bail while Chinyere remains in police custody.
The two are likely to appear before court today.
A 32-year-old Nigerian mother of three has been arrested and detained by the Tesano Divisional Police Command over the callous abuse of her 10-year-old niece, Esther Toby, a class 5 pupil of New Jerusalem International School at Tabora in Accra.
Chinyere Toby Oburoh, the victim’s aunt, on Friday, April 29, 2011, became offended over a trivial issue and slapped little Esther’s face.
Esther, who dodged a second slap, got her auntie more infuriated, leading to the woman pouring hot water meant to prepare ‘eba,’ a common staple prepared with gari, on her.
Esther, narrating her story, told the Tesano Police that Auntie Chinyere, who was then boiling water to prepare ‘eba’, went to the kitchen, brought out a bowl of hot water and poured it on her back.
But Chinyere’s husband, Kingsley Oburoh, who was arrested alongside his wife for abetment, told police the bruises on the back of his ‘daughter’ were sores resulting from prickly heat. “She and her mother confirmed to me that it is heat rashes,” Kingsley told police.
Kingsley said he was not in the house when the incident took place but when he returned and saw the girl’s condition and asked what the problem was, he was simply told by his wife and the girl that the blisters were heat rashes.
When police indicated that the child would be sent back to her home country Nigeria, Kingsley said Esther was better off in their care since they gave her motherly and fatherly attention.
Chinyere however said she did not know what came over her and that she only threw the water kettle at her niece. She noted that she did not intend to harm her and has since apologized to her.
She pleaded with the police for leniency since she had repented and would never do that again. The Tesano Divisional Commander, ACP Emmanuel Bossoh, said the Headmistress of New Jerusalem International School at Tabora reported to his unit yesterday that Esther’s bruises were noticed by some of her mates while playing.
When she was quizzed, she narrated her ordeal to the mistress who then invited her guardians to the school. A verbal agreement was reached that Esther live with the mistress till she recovered.
However, in the afternoon of yesterday, Chinyere went to the school to rescind her decision, asking the mistress to hand over Esther to her because she was best placed to take good care of her.
The mistress, who did not take kindly to her decision, refused her request but Chinyere would not leave.
In the ensuing confrontation, the mistress decided to report to the police to take custody of the girl. Esther confirmed to the police that several other marks including a scar on her wrist were inflicted on her by her Auntie Chinyere with a knife.
The Divisional Commander told Daily Guide that Chinyere’s three male children were never scolded for any offence but she always found faults with her niece and abuses her at the slightest provocation.
Kingsley Oburoh has since been granted a self-recognizance bail while Chinyere remains in police custody.
The two are likely to appear before court today.
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