A 38-year-old businesswoman identified as Mrs. Juliet Igwe has been remanded at the Owerri Correctional Centre on Thursday by an Owerri Chief Magistrate Court in Imo State following accusations of assault, injury and attempted murder of her five-year-old maid, Onyinyechi.
According to sources, the defendant burned the victim’s private areas and caused numerous damage to her body using candles. She also peeled off the child’s hands using boiling water.
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Mrs. Igwe was then arraigned before Chief Magistrate B. U. Adikibe on a one-count charge of attempted m8rder by the Imo State Police Command, acting on the authority of the Commissioner of Police.
The accusation is based on an alleged November 25 event in which the child allegedly suffered serious physical injuries.
Accordingly, she directed that the case file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal counsel and ordered that the suspect be placed under remand in prison custody.
Following this, the child was allegedly allowed to wander in critical condition for several days before being rescued, according to material provided to the court.
The case drew public attention following the intervention of a human rights organization, Stand For Humanity Foundation, which reportedly discovered the child in a dire state and facilitated her rescue.
The group also assisted in the arrest of the suspect on December 4.
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Under the leadership of activist journalist Chidiebube Okeoma, the foundation made sure Onyinyechi was admitted right away to the Imo State University Medical Centre in Owerri, where she is presently receiving medical care. The group has persisted in promoting both accountability in the case and the child’s recuperation.
Mrs. Igwe apologised for the incident in a brief statement to reporters following the court appearance.
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