The Federal Capital Territory Police Commissioner, Adewale Ajao, has launched a manhunt for a woman accused of severely abusing a 14-year-old girl working as a domestic help in Abuja.
The police action follows the emergence of a disturbing video circulating online that shows the victim, identified as Bashariya, narrating her ordeal in Hausa language. The footage reveals visible lash marks and burn scars across the girl's body, providing evidence of the alleged abuse.
Victim's Background
According to the video testimony, Bashariya hails from Zamfara State, where her family had fled their community due to persistent bandit attacks. They subsequently relocated to the Gwiwa Eka IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp before the girl was brought to Abuja to work as a domestic helper in search of better opportunities.
Instead of finding safety, the frightened teenager revealed she was routinely deprived of food, beaten, and burned by her employer.
Police Response
SP Josephine Adeh, spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, confirmed that Commissioner Ajao has directed all Divisional Police Officers within the territory to urgently locate and apprehend the woman responsible for the abuse.
"Although the incident was not initially reported to the police, the Commissioner of Police, Adewale Ajao, has directed all Divisional Police Officers within the FCT to urgently identify and arrest the woman involved," Adeh stated.
The police spokesperson emphasized the Commissioner's strong condemnation of child abuse, noting: "The CP strongly condemns any act of child abuse. He emphasises that anyone who knows they are not capable of properly caring for a child should refrain from taking on such responsibility. No child should be made to suffer such cruelty."
This case highlights the ongoing issue of child domestic worker abuse in Nigeria, particularly involving vulnerable children from conflict-affected regions who are brought to urban centers for domestic work.
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