Tina Idoroyen, has been arrested in Calabar for dipping the hands of her five-year-old daughter in hot water for stealing a piece fish.
Idoronye, a food vendor, claimed that she prepared 19 pieces of fish for her business and went out. She said she met only one piece of fish when she got back. She said her daughter ate the missing pieaces.
Idoronye then dipped her daughter’s two hands in hot water as a punishment, with the girl suffering severe burns.
Counsel to Basic Rights Council Initiative (BRCI) in charge of the child’s case, Mr James Ibor, alleged that the mother had admmited, the little girl had not eaten before stealing her fish.
“The mother alleged that her 5-year-old daughter stole her fish so she dipped her hands in very hot water, in reaction to the alleged stealing. Meanwhile, she admitted also that when it happened, the child had not eaten, which means the child must have been hungry,” Ibor said.
“The father of the child abandoned the family, almost two years ago, she still has another 8-year-old daughter. They can barely feed and she is owing house rent so if we had not intervened with treatment, immediately, that child’s burnt would have been further infected.”
Ibor said the matter has not been reported to the police because the child needs the support and care of her mother while in the hospital receiving treatment. However, she would still be handed to the police to pay for her crime.
