The woman and the brutalised body of the young girl. Photo: The Punch
Glory Ugbon, an eight-year-old housemaid has reportedly suffered severe brutality in the hands of her boss, Deborah Gabriel, for stealing a plate of rice.
The young girl, it was gathered, had been working with the woman since November 2015, when her elder sister took her to the woman in Akwa Ibom who would later ship her to Lagos.
The Punch reports that the police in Lagos are now investigating the 40-year-old woman who put pepper in the girl’s eyes and private part when she (Ugbon) stole a plate of rice out of hunger.
Findings revealed that the young girl’s unfortunate story began barely five months after she started living with her new boss as she already had so many marks all over her body but the height of it all was the April 10 incident which raised curiosity of neighbours who had been observing the woman’s behaviour all along.
Young Glory narrated that, “Madam said she would put me in school and my sister told me that she would treat me well. The woman is not related to us. I work at home all the time but sometimes when she is not happy with me, she beats me till I cannot walk.
“Since November that she brought me to Lagos, she has not talked about any school for me.”
The Samaritans, it was gathered, alerted child rights activists, who subsequently informed police officers of the impending danger if the woman was not called to immediate order.
Speaking on what led to the incident, Glory, who was taken into custody by the Aguda police division, Surulere, Lagos alongside her madam, explained that she was eating at the backyard of their house on that fateful day before her boss accused her of stealing food.
“When she was tired of beating me, she forced my legs apart and rubbed some pepper that she had just ground in my eyes and my bum bum (private part),” the young girl added.
Glory was said to be weeping and when neighbours saw that it was becoming unbearable, they reported the matter at the police station after which the pair were taken into custody.
The girl told our correspondent that her mother and father were in the village in Akwa Ibom State.
The young girl has since been taken to a referral centre as she was said to be complaining about the pepper which had been deposited in her private part.
Speaking on what happened on the day of the incident, Deborah said: “something just came over me.”
She added: “Please, help me. I am so sorry for what I did. I know it is wrong but I just could not control my anger. I promise to take care of her and give her adequate treatment now. I am so sorry for what I did.”
In his words, Victor, the husband of the woman, said: “My wife flogged the girl because she caught her eating in the backyard. I told the girl too that she should not have eaten at the back of the house. I was the one who even prepared the stew.
“I went to sleep later and when I woke up the following morning, I saw all the wounds on the girl’s body. That was when I also knew that she had put pepper in the girl’s private part.
“I did not know that she beat her so badly. I guess I slept too deeply and did not hear the girl’s screaming because of the drug I took that day. I would have intervened.”
Explaining why he allowed such an underage girl in the house as a maid, the man stated categorically that,“I told her the girl was too young, but she said the girl is hardworking and that she would cope. I really blame my wife for what happened but I assure you sir that we would treat her. We would take her to the hospital for treatment and return her to her parents.”
Mrs Gabriel has since been charged with child abuse and assault against a minor at the Surulere Magistrate’s court, Lagos and was subsequently remanded at the Kirikiri Prison, pending the perfection of her bail.