Woman Arrested in Calabar For Binding Own Daughter Hands And Legs

A Middle aged woman, Ene Edem Okon has been arrested by the police in for inflicting bodily harm and binding her eleven year old daughter, Queenette Ene Edem hands and legs for being wayward.

She was arrested when the Queenette appeared in her school, Government Primary School, Akim with multiple wounds on her chest, stomach and buttocks prompting the school authorities to report the matter to the police at the Akim Police Station.

Queenette narrated to CrossRiverWatch that on 17th February, she left their home at Eneyo village in Akpabuyo Local Government Area to the Maternity Junction Settlement some four kilometers away from home to meet her cousin, one Blessing but did not come back to the house. “We were waiting for Blessing’s friend from whom she wanted to collect something but she delayed in coming and we waited till night and because we were afraid of going back home we slept in an uncompleted building at the Maternity Junction” she said.

The 11 year old said the next day one of her friends saw her at the Maternity Junction and told her that Mrs Ene Okon was looking for her with a machete and she was afraid of going back home. “We stayed on the road near our house and were breaking kernel to eat when my mother sent Okon to come and catch us and he came pretending to play with us and suddenly grabbed me and dragged to my mother”.

The mother who was very angry got hold of her and used a rod to hit her all over her bod, which left her with severe wounds. “She also put the kitchen knife in the fire she was cooking and when it was hot she placed it on my buttocks”.

When CrossRiverWatch met Mrs Ene Okon at the Akim Police Station, she was remorseful stating that she was driven by anger because Queeneth is very stubborn and had formed the habit of spending the night outside at such a tender age. “I sent her to school in far away Calabar because I don’t trust the school here in Akpabuyo but she is just too stubborn so I had to teach her a lesson.”

Mr Hogan Bassey, the Police spokesman for the Cross River Police Command said the woman would soon appear in Court after investigations are concluded.

Mr James Ibor, a child rights activist said the Children Courts in Cross River are not functioning and called on the State Government to fund the courts to keep them functional.

“The cases we have taken to the Children’s Court have suffered terrible adjournments because the judges are not sitting, the government should as a matter of urgency ensure that the courts are funded so that these children would not continue to be denied of justice which is their right”

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