The National Human Right Commission (NHRC) and the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Imo State chapter has called on the Imo State Government and the Nigeria Police Force to immediately apprehend one Confidence Amatobi, for allegedly assaulting his two-months-old baby.
The suspect reportedly broke his son’s arm with a plastic hanger for disturbing his sleep.
The incident led to the amputation of the baby’s hand at at the Pediatrics ward of the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Owerri.
According to the baby’s 20-year-old mother, Favor Chikwe, she had left Miracle with his father on Friday, October 7, 2022, to use the convenience, when the incident happened.
Favour revealed that her husband told her he beat the baby because his cries was disturbing his sleep.
She said, “Upon noticing that he has broken the baby’s hand, he used sticks and rubber bands to bind the broken bones together,”
“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.
Speaking to newsmen on the incident, Imo State Chairperson of NAWOJ, Dr Dorothy Nnaji after visiting the amputated boy at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owerri, confirmed 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.
She explained that the father had repeatedly hit the boy on his right hand until it broke.
Her words, “The perpetrator, Mr. Confidence Amatobi, who hails from Amurie in Isu L.G.A used a plastic hanger on the baby, simply because he was crying that the mother left to ease herself. He used wood and elastic bands to tie the baby’s hand when he saw that hand was broken and swollen.
“He locked the mother and baby to prevent her from talking to neighbours or seeking help. He also took her phone from her. After two days she found her way out and sought help from her neighbours. The guy was arrested by a vigilante but he escaped. By the time help came, the baby’s hand was already decayed. The only option was to cut off baby Miracle’s right hand from shoulder.
“I feel for the 20 year old Favor Chikwe who is too young to go through all this stress just because she went to easy herself. I am calling on lmo State Judiciary and all spirited individuals and Government to give justice to this innocent boy whose only crime was that he cried like any other baby.”
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