A Chief Magistrate Court in Owerri, Imo State, on Thursday ordered the remand of a 38-year-old businesswoman, Mrs Juliet Igwe, at the Owerri Correctional Centre over allegations of grievous harm and attempted murder of her five-year-old maid, Onyinyechi.
Juliet Igwe had used candlelight to burn the victim’s private parts and inflict multiple injuries on her body.
She also used boiling water to peel off the child’s hands.
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Mrs Igwe was arraigned before Chief Magistrate B. U. Adikibe on a one-count charge of attempted murder by the Imo State Police Command, acting on the authority of the Commissioner of Police.
The charge stems from an incident alleged to have occurred on November 25, during which the minor reportedly sustained severe physical injuries.
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Police prosecutors informed the court that the offence is punishable by life imprisonment, prompting Magistrate Adikibe to rule that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.
In line with this, she ordered that the suspect be remanded in prison custody and directed that the case file be transferred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
According to information presented to the court, the child was allegedly left to wander in critical condition for several days before she was rescued.
The case drew public attention following the intervention of a human rights organisation, Stand For Humanity Foundation, which reportedly discovered the child in a dire state and facilitated her rescue.
The group also assisted in the arrest of the suspect on December 4.
Led by activist journalist Chidiebube Okeoma, the foundation ensured the immediate admission of Onyinyechi to the Imo State University Medical Centre, Owerri, where she is currently receiving medical treatment. The organisation has continued to advocate for the child’s recovery and for accountability in the case.
Speaking briefly to journalists after the court session, Mrs Igwe expressed regret over the incident.
“I didn’t know that this child would be in such pains. I didn’t know. It is only God that will judge me. I don’t know what came over me. I have been crying and praying for God to heal Onyinyechi,” she said.
The 38-year-old businesswoman had candlelight to inflict injuries on the private parts of little Onyinyechi.
Before her arraignment, and while being paraded before newsmen, spokesperson of the Imo state command, SP Henry Okoye, revealed that apart from inflicting injuries on the minor’s private parts, she also used hot water to peel off the infant’s two hands and used candle wax to injure her body.
The suspects said her reason for inflicting the heinous injury was that the child stole meat from her pot. And that her action was to forestall future recurrence.
