The Imo State Police Command has arrested a secondary school teacher, Mrs. Blessing Emmanuel, for allegedly brutalizing her 12-year-old stepdaughter, Amarachi Emmanuel.
Mrs. Emmanuel was apprehended on Tuesday by the Owerri Police Area Command following a report filed by Chidiebube Okeoma, an Owerri-based activist and journalist.
The case came to light when two local women, Eunice and Amarachi, spotted the girl selling sachet water on the streets of Owerri, bearing visible injuries.
A video posted by Okeoma on social media showed Amarachi’s body covered with injuries, reportedly caused by machete cuts and beatings inflicted by her stepmother.
Okeoma, who confirmed the arrest on Thursday, explained that he had taken the girl to Umuguma General Hospital in Owerri, where she is currently receiving medical attention.
“Amarachi’s mother passed away in 2018, and her father remarried in 2019. Since then, she and her two siblings have been out of school and forced to sell sachet water on the streets,” Okeoma said. “They are treated as slaves by their stepmother and are often left hungry.”
The latest assault reportedly occurred after Amarachi cooked and ate rice without her stepmother’s permission. Upon her return, Mrs. Emmanuel allegedly beat her severely.
Okeoma said he brought the girl to the Owerri Area Command, leading to Mrs. Emmanuel’s arrest. He also enrolled Amarachi in the Imo State Health Insurance Scheme for vulnerable children.
Okeoma added that he had involved the National Human Rights Commission, the Owerri Municipal Council Welfare Department, and the Imo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development in the case.
He noted that several human rights organizations, the Nigerian Bar Association, and media outlets have shown interest in the case.
“The brutalization of children has no place in today’s society. I hope the police will ensure justice is served, and my aim is to get Amarachi and her siblings off the streets and into school,” Okeoma added.
When contacted, the spokesperson for the Imo State Police Command, Henry Okoye, confirmed that the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, had ordered a thorough investigation into the matter, ensuring justice for the victim.
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