A deaconess has been arrested after she supposedly made child kept under her care go through a series of cruel torture that has agitated Nigerians.
According to reports, the 14-year-old girl named Princess lived with her parents in Kaduna but were displaced by bandits who attacked their community.
Consequently, Princess’ parents placed their daughter in the home of Mrs Iyema Oyemola Oyewole, a deaconess in Living Faith Church in Barnawa, Kaduna State.
Postin the story on Facebook, Juliet Ocheze wrote:
THE STORY OF PRINCESS VS THE DEACONESS…
This is the most unbelievable Child abuse story I’ve come in contact with so far…
The picture of the girl here is that of a young Princess. She is fourteen years old from Kuturah in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Her father moved his family to Kaduna town when the neighboring village was attacked by the forces killing our people.
You should know that in Southern Kaduna we have over fifteen thousand internally displaced persons, and since they don’t have a camp, those in the city centers have accommodated these people and are still doing that.
Mrs Yemi Awolola whose picture appears above is a Refinery Staff. She is also a Church Deaconess with the Living Faith Church Barnawa. She has five children.
Mr Oyewole begged for Princess to come and stay with them. The father single-handedly gave the girl to the woman.
The woman even used holy water when he handed his daughter to the woman. He thought she was a good Christian woman.
A month later, he called to speak with his daughter; the woman said he must speak with her in English and not Hausa. She knew the daughter would likely spill.
She would now put the girl on the speaker to monitor her. Meanwhile, the girl was sleeping in the toilet all these while with not even a wrapper.
The woman gave her a cup and told her that whenever she’s thirsty she should fetch water from the toilet to drink.
In the interview video clip, you’d hear the girl say, “They would now give me leaves like an animal” while in the toilet before the girl would come out to work her ass off.
The father said, “I did not collect or want any money from the woman. All that I wanted to be was for my daughter to go to school.” But in reality, for the past one year, Princess has gone to school just a week.
When asked, why did you go to school just once? And she replied, “The woman opened my bag one week after I commenced school and saw a carrot that I had put inside to eat during break and beat the living daylight out of me. Since then she stopped me from going to school…”
Check the scars on her face? The woman puts a knife on a burner or stove and when it’s hot, she would place it on her face. Her face used to be very swollen.
When the parents insisted on seeing her, she refused to let anyone have access to the girl. The mother, months ago went to the house to see the girl.
It was raining, and for three hours, Mrs Oyewole refused to let her see her daughter. She told her she would not allow her into the house because she does not want the woman to bring in corona into the house.
When the mother refused to leave, she opened the gate for her and let her see the daughter from the gate of the house. She told her, “You can see your daughter is alive right? Now leave my house!”
The grains that the woman brought for the family, the woman instantly gave it out to the security men at the gate.
When the girl’s father was told of the inhumane treatment, he then realized that something was wrong.
He made contact with the relevant people on how to get his daughter back but every effort proved unsuccessful. The woman told them that the girl was in Abuja.
On Monday, the Uncle to the girl called the woman and warned her that she had just six hours to return the girl and here we are today.
It was then she started treating the girl with iodine and ice to dry up the wounds.
Mrs. Oyewole has a son who beats Princess at will. Punishes her even under the rain. When all of these happens, the husband locks himself in his room and pretends like nothing is happening.
Her children Tito and Nifemi would hold the girl’s neck while the mother would burn her buttocks and vagina with lighter.
They hold her down while the mother inserts a stick into her private part at the same time burning the vagina. They also put pepper in the vagina and over the wounds.
When asked at the police station, why did you treat the girl so, and she replied, “I didn’t know the fire was burning very well like that!”
Her Church had settled the matter. But luckily, Alheri Magaji and the rest have got other NGOs involved.
Living Faith Kaduna, you owe Kaduna people lots of apologies. Remember Nathaniel Samuel whom you all said carried a bomb into your Church meanwhile it was stolen firecrackers?
You almost set Kaduna state on fire with your conduct. You never came out to address the whole issue.
To date, I believe Nath is still in incarceration. He was your Church member albeit a mentally challenged one. I did my investigation. I got threats and insults when I revealed the whole story. To date, nobody has said anything.
The Church in Nigeria is as culpable as anyone else. You settled this case and wanted that girl back to that woman’s home? You all are crazy!
Kaduna Ministry of Human Services and Social Development, which disclosed this on its twitter handle said, Awolola collected the victim from her parents at an IDP camp in Kajuru local government area of Kaduna 15 months ago.
It said: “The Ministry is currently investigating distressing news of child labour and physical violence by Mrs Yemi Awolola a staff of NNPC group Kaduna on one 14-year old Princess Michael whom Mrs Yemi keeps as a house help.
“Princess was given to Mrs Yemi by her parents, upon agreement that she will be supported to go to school.
“For the 15 months of Princess’s stay with Mrs Yemi, she has been consistently abused and battered. She is made to sleep in the restroom and often times is forced to drink pepper which Mrs Yemi rubs on Princess’s body.
“Recently the case was brought to light when Mrs Yemi and her family members used a lighter to burn Princess’s private part and also inserted same device into her vagina which landed Princess in a hospital in Barnawa.
“The Ministry does not condone cases of violence on anyone let alone on a child and will mete out sanctions on Mrs. Yemi and her family on three counts: a. Child labour. S.29 (1) of the CWPL states that no child should be subjected to forced or exploitative labour & anyone who contravenes any provision of (1) or (2) commits an offence & is liable on conviction to a fine of not less than N50,000 or imprisonment for a term of 5 years or both. b. Violence against children: Part IV, S.28 (1) of the CWPL states that no person shall subject a child to emotional & physical violence & anyone who contravenes this, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than Two (2) years or fine of not less than N100,000 or both.
“Sexual violence: Mrs. Yemi recently used a device into Princess’s vagina and used flames to burn her around the walls of her vagina. S.32 (1) of the CWPL considers this an offence & S.33 (2) states that she is liable on conviction to a fine of not less than N100,000 or imprisonment to a term of not less than 5 years, or both.
“Princess Michael will get justice for all Mrs Yemi and her family have done to her. And every other would-be criminal like her who think they can abuse a child in Kaduna State and go free, should please try and see. No one hides for long,” the Ministry assured.