A medical doctor and pediatrician with the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH), Irrua in Edo State Dr. Chiamaka Ogbonnaya has been arrested by the police for alleged assault and battering of her housemaid identified as Comfort (surname withheld) said to be in Junior Secondary School 2.
She was accused of brutalizing the girl frequently with a mopping stick, turning stick, cane and any other object in sight on her ribcage and then sending the girl out and giving her raw rice saying that would be her food for one week.
Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chidi Nwabuzor said “Dr Ogbonayan Chiamaka of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital was actually arrested by Irrua Division on the alleged offence of child abuse and buttering and currently the matter is under the investigation of the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of investigation that is SCID and further development will be made known to the public.”
When contacted, the Commissioner of Education, Dr. Joan Osa Oviawe said, she would respond once she gets the full report of the case.
She however warned that there is zero-tolerance for the abuse of children in Edo state saying that “At the Ministry of Education, we take very seriously the social safeguarding of all our pupils and students. There is the Child Rights Law which stipulates all kinds of punishment including jail term for adults who abuse children.
“A child who has been traumatized at home will not be able to learn at school. His Excellency Gov. Obaseki has given us the mandate to ensure quality and relevant education across all levels of education and under our EdoBEST 2.0 education reform agenda, psycho-social support for all our learners is a priority.”
