A female employee of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Kaduna, Mrs. Yemi Awolola has been arrested for allegedly torturing and sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl she took into custody from an IDP camp.
Kaduna State Ministry of Human Services and Social Development which disclosed this on its Twitter handle, said, the Mrs. Awolola collected the victim from her parents at an Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camp in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna 15 months ago.
Our correspondent gathered that the young Princess Michael was given to Mrs. Awolola on the agreement that she would support her education.
The ministry however said, Awolola and some members of her family had consistently abused, battered, made Miss Michael sleep in the toilet and often forcing to drink pepper.
It said: “The ministry is currently investigating distressing news of child labour and physical violence by Mrs. Yemi Awolola, a staff of NNPC Group, Kaduna, on one 14-year-old Princess Michael whom Mrs. Yemi keeps as househelp.
“Princess was given to Mrs. Yemi by her parents, upon agreement that she will be supported to go to school.
“For the 15 months of Princess’s stay with Mrs. Yemi, she has been consistently abused and battered. She is made to sleep in the rest room and often times, is forced to drink pepper, which Mrs. Yemi rubs on Princess’s body.
“Recently the case was brought to light when Mrs. Yemi and her family members used a lighter to burn Princess’s private part and also inserted same device into her vagina which landed Princess in a hospital in Barnawa.”
The statement said the ministry does not take kindly to cases of violence on anyone, let alone a child and will pursue legal sanctions against Mrs Awolola on three-count charges of child labour, violence against children and sexual violence.