‘I locked him in a dog cage because he broke my side mirror’- Woman in viral video assaulting a boy says
24-year-old Onyinye Mbadike, pictured above, who was arrested by men of the Lagos state police command over the viral video showing her assaulting a 10-year-old boy, Chibike Eziamaka, has said that she meted out the unjust treatment on the little boy because he smashed the side mirror of her car with a stone.
Spokesperson of the state police command, Bala Elkana, said this in a statement he released today August 15, confirming her arrest.
According to Bala, the little boy who is an orphan, was brought to Lagos by Onyinye’s mother who is his aunt. The 24-year-old told the police that she assaulted the boy who is her cousin and locked him in a cage because he was misbehaving.
Read the statement from Bala confirming her arrest below;
On 14th August, 2019, a team of detectives from the Gender Unit, Command’s Headquarters Ikeja, arrested one Onyinye Mbadike ‘f’ 24yrs of No 7 Trimnell Street, Aguda for assault and child abuse. This followed a viral video on the social media showing the suspect torturing one Chibike EziAmaka ‘m’ 10years old of same address.
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. The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Zubairu Muazu mni 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 years old Boy was rescued and taken to a secured shelter. The suspect admitted that she is the one on the viral video flogging the child with belt, but she denied locking the survivor in a cage with dogs. That 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 suspect smashed the side mirror of her Toyota Camry with stone which made her to detained 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 reiterated its commitment towards protecting the rights of Children and other vulnerable members of the society from all forms of violence and abuses.
