The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Imo State Chapter and National Human Right Commission (NHRC) have called on Imo State Government and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to immediately arrest and prosecute Mr Confidence Amatobi, for allegedly breaking his 3-month-old baby’s arm.
Mr Amatobi was said to have assaulted little Miracle’s arm for disturbing his sleep. The incident led to the amputation of the fractured arm.
NAWOJ, NHRC and the aggrieved mother of Miracle, made the call for justice on behalf of the baby in Owerri the Imo State Capital.
Imo State Chairperson of NAWOJ, Dr Dorothy Nnaji who spoke to newsmen in Owerri after visiting the amputated boy at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri, disclosed that the injury inflicted by the 31-year-old father, a native of Amurie in Isu LGA of the state, led to the amputation of the little boy’s right hand.
Mrs Nnaji, who frowned at the dastardly cruel act of Mr Amatobi, expressed shock that a father could assault his innocent child simply because he was crying and disturbing his sleep.
She disclosed that Mr Amatobi was reported to have repeatedly hit the baby with a plastic object to stop him from crying until the right hand broke.
Describing the attack on the little boy as the height of child abuse, the chairperson demanded justice for the baby since he can’t speak for himself.
Similarly, the Imo State Coordinator NHRC, Mrs Ukachi Ukah, while reacting to the incident also condemned the brutality and insisted that justice must be allowed to take its course.
Narrating her ordeal, the mother of Miracle, Mrs Favour Chikwe who hails from Idemili Community, Anambra State disclosed that she had left Miracle with his father on Friday, October 7, 2022, to use the convenience, when the incident happened.
Favour recalled that she overheard her baby crying uncontrollably and had to rush back to know the cause of her cry only for her to discover that his right hand was swollen and bone broken from the beating he received from his father.
Amatobi, it was learnt, confessed that the baby was disturbing him with his cry while he was sleeping and he had to try to stop him by battering him.
He said: “Upon noticing that he has broken the baby’s hand, he used sticks and rubber bands to bind the broken bones together.”
She said: “When l confronted him about what he did, he locked us in the room, to prevent me from telling people about his wicked deed or seek for help. He also collected my phone from me so that I will not call the neighbours.”
She narrated how she managed to take the baby to hospitals in the community that refused to treat the baby before she took him to FMC Owerri where the amputation was done.
The woman appealed for support to save her child while calling on the state government, NHRC and other civil society organisations to assist her to get justice for her son.
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