BY CHUWANG DUNGS
A 13-year-old girl is in hospital in Jalingo, Taraba State, with bodily injuries, including her hands, after severe torture by her guardians.
This was revealed on Friday by the state commissioner of Police, David Iloyanomon, during a parade of suspects at the police command headquarters in Jalingo the state capital.
“On 1/07/2024, a complaint was made at Yorro Division that one Bulus Bitonopa tortured one Bridget Samuel ‘f’ 13yrs causing temporal paralysis of her hands while one Hon. Cleopas took the victim to his house in Jalingo in a bid to conceal the crime, failed to take the victim to the Hospital and resisted Police intervention.” Mr Iloyanomon said. He said investigation reveals that the victim was subjected to severe cruel and inhumane treatment by the suspect
According to him the command under his watch would not tolerate such a horrific act as such the suspect will be charged to court for justice to prevail.
According to Bridget (the victim) “They tied my hands with rubber and burnt it with hot water and pepper,” the teenager told Journalists from her Federal Medical Center (FMC) Jalingo, hospital bed.
The girl was in pain as she explained in Hausa how she was tortured by her uncle and his wife.
She said, “In May my uncle asked me to come and stay with them promising to send me to school and since then I have been staying with them peacefully
“On that fateful Friday, his wife asked me with some other children to go to our neighbors house and call some young people to come and help her in her farm.
“On getting back from the errand, she said her N5000 was missing and insisted that I was the one that took it
“A boy who saw us told her nobody entered the house, but she insisted that I was the one that stole the money
“My uncle with one other person then tied my hands with rubber, while she boiled water with pepper and pour it on me, I remained tied for several hours
Miss Samuel, who is the second born in a family of three, said it was one of her uncles who came from the village to Yorro for the market day that rescued her.
“It was one of my Uncle who came to spend the market day in Sabon Kasuwa and decided to come and greet us that untied me after he saw my condition
“My Uncle’s wife rained insults on him for untying me. He then took me to the hospital and I was only giving injection
“My elder brother now later came and picked me before we came to Jalingo.” She explained.
