The Enugu State Government has declared that Mrs. Ogechi John has been arrested in connection with the alleged murder of her nine-year-old stepdaughter, Amanda John.
The suspect was named as an indigenous Oderiko resident of Ebonyi State’s Ikwo Local Government Area in a message sent on Governor Peter Mbah’s WhatsApp media channel on Monday.
The statement claims that Mrs. John was taken into custody by Nigeria Police Force officers in relation to the child’s death, which was allegedly caused by beating at their home in Nchatancha, Emene, Enugu East Local Government Area.
According to the statement, which cited neighbors’ testimony, the incident happened on Sunday at around 3 p.m. Before the incident, locals claimed that the suspect had often mistreated the late Amanda.
Ngozi Enih, the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development, responded to the development by stating that the state government will make sure the suspect was subject to the full force of the law.
”It is known that the administration of Governor Peter Mbah will not tolerate any kind of child abuse, much less child homicide. As soon as we learned of this tragedy, we moved quickly to make sure the perpetrator was taken into custody,” Enih stated.
The commissioner went on to say that in order to guarantee that justice was done promptly, the government will keep a careful eye on the court system.
“To make sure that justice is not only served, but served quickly, we will be advocating for a comprehensive and accelerated investigation. In Enugu State, no one should take another person’s life, particularly a child. We denounce the entire act,” she continued.
The state administration reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding children and threatened to prosecute anyone found guilty of child abuse or assault.
While investigations are ongoing, the suspect is still being held by the police.
Nevertheless, neither the particular reason of the child’s death nor the police station handling the investigation were mentioned in the statement.
