12 year old Kafayat Kareem was battered by her father who used barb wire
to beat her mercilessly for defending her mother during one of
her parent's fight at their home in Orile Iganmu, Lagos. Kafayat's
father
pounced on his wife after he discovered she used his money to play
lottto. Kafayat, who is a
Junior Secondary School 1 student at Canal Secondary
School, Orile, Lagos, said if not for the timely intervention of
vigilante
people who found her writhing in pain inside the market, she would have
died.
She narrated her experience to TheNation
"I
live with my parents at 4 Kuforiji Street, Orile. On July 7th, 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. My father
alleged that my mother loves patronizing lotto game and he beat her up
mercilessly and broke her knees. 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.
This is not the first time my father will beat my mother and I. I have
lost count of his endless beatings. On 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 but my
mother said my father will change but he has gotten worse by the day. My
mother is presently on admission at the Charity Hospital at 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 but 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 and
rescued me. I told them my plight and they took me to the hospital where
I am presently receiving treatment”
Also speaking, the
secretary of the Vigilante group of
Nigeria at Ebutte Metta where Kafayat was found, said after seeing the
girl in so much pain, he mobilzed for her to be taken to a nearby
hospital to receive medical attention
“On July 7th about 4am, I received a report from our members patrolling
the Oyingbo market along the railway line that they found a girl laying
in pains in one of the stalls. I told them to bring her to our office
and when I saw her body, I asked her what happened and she told me that
her father beat her with barb wire. 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 the battering 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,” the man said.
Source: The Nation
Ads Under Post PC
Title : Heartbreaking photos: 12yr old girl battered by her father in Lagos
Description : 12 year old Kafayat Kareem was battered by her father who used barb wire to beat her mercilessly for defending her mother during one of ...
