A
police sergeant from Ibiaku community, Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of Akwa
Ibom State, Mr. Ita Ayamba, has allegedly brutalised and abandoned his
eight-year-old daughter, Goodness Ayamba over her refusal to confess to
witchcraft.
Ita
was said to have paraded the little girl along the village streets naked,
declaring that Goodness was responsible for his retrogression in the Police
Force.
A
source and relative of Ita, told our correspondent in Eket on Saturday, on the
condition of anonymity,
that
the police sergeant tortured his daughter for several hours in an attempt to
extract a confession of being a witch from her.
He
said, “When he discovered that Goodness had passed out, Ita abandoned her,
having hit her chest with the butt of his AK 47 Rifle.
“None
of us could go close to Ita to rescue Goodness as he had threatened to shoot
anyone that dared.
“I
don’t see how a child of that age could become a clog in the wheel of her
father’s progress in the Police Force. We need to tell each other the truth.
Progress in one’s career depends on the efforts one has made academically.”
WE gathered
that Ita had divorced Goodness’ mother some years back. He was said to
have remarried almost immediately, leaving three children including Goodness
with their grandmother.
A
resident of the area, Okon Ekong, said that on July 28, 2013 when the children
were on holiday, Ita had requested custody of them. He was said to be at
his new station in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, at the time.
Ita’s
former wife, Mrs. Anietie Ayamba, allegedly heeded his request and took the
children to him. Ekong said that the children’s stepmother made life miserable
for them.
He
said, “It was during their stay in Port Harcourt, that their stepmother took
the children to a Pentecostal church. Goodness was accused of witchcraft at the
church. Her stepmother was told that Goodness was the person responsible for
their father’s non-rising profile in the force.
“The
father who was also in the church began to beat and kick Goodness in a
bid to extract a confession about her witchcraft.”
When
we visited Immanuel Hospital, Eket, Eket LGA, on Saturday, where
Goodness was taken to for medical attention, it was gathered that she had been
admitted at the intensive care unit of the children’s ward.
Nurses
at the hospital said Goodness’ condition was stable but that her bones and
chest cavity had been badly damaged.
A
group of women lawyers under the aegis of Federation of International Women
Lawyers have said that they would do everything within their power to ensure
that Ita was brought to justice.
The
state director of the organisation, Mrs. Mary Udonsek, stated that the women
would not continue to sit back and allow men maltreat their children on the
guise of labelling them witches.
Ita,
said to be working at Trans Amadi Police Station, Port Harcourt, Rivers State
had allegedly not been to Ibiaku, Mkpat Enin LGA since the incident.
The
state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Etim Dickson, said the Rivers State
Police Command would be contacted about the matter.
He
said, “Messages have been sent across to police area commands in Oron and Ikot
Ekpene so that Ita will not have any place to hide once he is in the state.”
No comments:
Post a Comment