A 24-year-old woman Onyinye Mbadike caught on camera dehumanising a young boy has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command.
Mbadike was seen in a viral video on social media beating up a young boy said to be an orphan after which she locked him inside a dog’s kennel.
According to a statement by spokesman Bala Elkana, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), the incident occurred at 7 Trimnell Street, Aguda in Surulere.
Elkana said the woman was arrested on Wednesday by a team of detectives from Gender Unit for assault and child abuse.
He identified the victim as Chibike Eziamaka, a cousin to the suspect who has lived with her since 2012, adding that he has been moved to a government shelter.
According to the police, the woman admitted to have beaten the boy and locked him inside an empty dog kennel after he consumed an alcoholic beverage from the fridge and became intoxicated.
Police said the woman disclosed that under the influence of alcohol, the boy threw stones at her vehicle and broke the side mirror of her Toyota Camry parked in the compound.
She told detectives that her beating and detaining him was to discipline him, adding that she locked him up in the empty cage for few hours and released him when he was sober.
“The video also showed the suspect locking the boy up in a dog’s kennel, sharing space with dogs. The video was widely condemned by well-meaning Nigerians.
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“The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Zubairu Muazu ordered the Gender Unit of the command to identify the woman in the video, rescue the child and make the suspect face the full weight of the law.
“Domestic and Sexual Response Team (DSVRT), Alausa Ikeja also added its voice to the call for investigation with a petition addressed to the Commissioner of Police to that effect. The Gender Unit traced the suspect to Chumpe Liquor Store, Surulere and her residence at Aguda.
“The 10-year-old boy was rescued and taken to a secure shelter. The suspect admitted that she is the one on the viral video flogging the child with belt but denied locking the survivor in a cage with dogs.
“She said she only locked him in an empty dog kennel where bags are kept. She claimed to have locked up the boy for few hours before bringing him out. She alleged that the boy took a hot drink in their refrigerator and was misbehaving. That the victim smashed the side mirror of her Toyota Camry with stone which made her detain him in the dog kennel.
“Investigation revealed that the survivor lost his parents and was brought to Lagos in 2012 from Anambra State by the mother of the suspect along with his two siblings. The suspect and the survivor are cousins.
“The suspect’s mother is the elder sister of the survivor’s father. The suspect will be charged to court. The command reiterate its commitment towards protecting the rights of children and other vulnerable members of the society from all forms of violence and abuses,” said Elkana. [THE NATION]
