A 12-year-old girl, Kafayat Kareem, is in critical condition after her father flogged her with barbed wire for trying to defend her mother against his assault.
The Junior Secondary School 1 student, of Canal secondary school
in Orile, Lagos, would have died after she collapsed from her injuries,
but for the intervention of vigilante members who found her during the
night at Oyingbo market in Ebute-Metta.
They rushed the child to Star Clinic, at Ebutte-Metta, where she is currently receiving treatment.
Narrating how she incurred
the wrath of her father Kafayat said:
“I
live with my parents at 4, Kuforiji Street. On July 7, I ran away from
home after receiving severe beating from my father. My offence was that I tried to stop him from beating my mother.
“My father accused my mother of using his hard earned money to
play lotto game and he descended on her with anything he could lay his
hands on. He said my mother loves patronizing lotto game officials, and
he beat her up mercilessly.
“Despite my mother’s cry for help, none of our neighbours came to
her rescue because they are afraid of my father. I could not bear the
beating anymore and I begged my father to stop beating my mother. He
became furious and pounced on me”.
She continued:
“This is not the first time
my father will beat my mother and I. I have lost count of his endless
beating. One occasion, I begged my mother to relocate four of us her
children to Ilorin, so we can stay away from our father due to his
constant beating.
“I am the first child; although my mother said my father will change, he has gotten worse by the day. My mother is presently on admission at the Charity Hospital, Orile, following the beating my father gave her.
“I could not stand his beating anymore and I ran away from home to meet one of my mother’s friends at Oyingbo market, unfortunately, I did not meet her when I got to the market. I was in great pains and I decided to sleep in the market because I do not want to go back to my father’s house.
“It was while I was sleeping at the market, that some vigilante
men came to my rescue. I told them my plight and they took me to the
hospital where I am presently receiving treatment”.
Agbodemu Musbau, the secretary of the Vigilante group of Nigeria at
Ebutte Metta stated that the vigilante men on night patrol at Oyingbo
market found the girl writhing in pain and rescued her.
“On July 9th about 4am, I received a report from our members
patrolling the Oyingbo market along the railway line that they found a
girl that is almost ‘gone’.
“I quickly mobilized and took her to the Star Clinic at Ebute-
Metta, where she is receiving treatment. The wound on her body had
become sores and I wonder what type of a father will beat a child like
that.
“I took her to the Iponri police station to report, but the
policemen there turned me back that they do not handle such a case. I
took her to the Area C police Command at Surulere and the police there
refused to attend to us. They told me to take her to the office of the
Public defender.
“I have been running around with this girl since morning to get
the necessary authority to look into this matter and arrest the father,
but they have refused to take the case”.
He promised to make sure the father faces the full wrath of the law.
Ads Under Post PC
Title : Dad Beats Daughter Into Coma
Description : A 12-year-old girl, Kafayat Kareem, is in critical condition after her father flogged her with barbed wire for trying to defend her mother...
