A father of two, Ndufreke John Udoh, 28, popularly known as Bassey, has allegedly burnt his eight-year-old daughter, Magdalene, with a scalding hot pressing iron.
Udoh, who lives at 6, Keke Street Bariga, Shomolu, Lagos, allegedly meted out the cruel punishment to his daughter for failing to do her assigned house chores.
Our correspondent gathered that Udoh and Magdalene’s mother had been separated in the past three years.
Narrating the incident, the Coordinator of Child Protection Network in Shomolu-Bariga, Comrade Toyin Okanlawon, disclosed that the suspect was earlier arrested by the police in Bariga Division, but granted bail.
Okanlawon added that Udoh must be re-arrested and charged to court for child abuse.
He said apart from the alleged burning of the child with iron, health officials at the Shomolu General Hospital, where the victim was admitted, confirmed that the suspect had defiled both the victim and her six-year-old younger sister, Blessing.
Udoh’s landlord, Rev. Olayiwola Ogunmefun, confirmed the incident to our correspondent, saying the attack occurred when Udoh returned from work and shouted at the girls, apparently over the money he claimed got missing.
Ogunmefun said Udoh insisted that it was the children that must have taken the money, as he did not go out with it.
According to him, shortly after a few minute of Udoh’s rage, a cry of agony was heard and one of his neighbours, who hinted him (the landlord) rushed in to see what had happened, only to discover that the suspect had hurt his daughter with a hot pressing iron.
“Udoh is a very wicked man; I don’t know what kind of a father could do such a thing to his daughter. Before this particular incident, he had also been very abusive; he beats the kids ruthlessly without any good reason. He always says the children are too troublesome and disobedient. He said whenever he kept items in the house, Magdalene and her junior sister, Blessing, would either play away with the item or vandalise it or steal it, where possible,” he said.
Speaking further on the scalding incident, Udoh’s landlord said, “When the iron incident happened, although I was not at home, the neighbours told me what happened. I reported the case to the police and he was arrested, but has since been bailed.
He said, “Udoh did not take the responsibility of taking the girl to a hospital for treatment. When she was rushed to the hospital by neighbours, police report was demanded. So, incidentally I came around and hurriedly went to the police station to report the case and subsequently, she was admitted to the hospital – General Hospital, Shomolu.
“By this time, her father had stayed away from home. When he returned a few days later, he was arrested. Initially, he lied that it was hot pot that mistakenly hurt the girl, but after sometime, he admitted the allegation.”
When asked if he was aware that the suspect had sexually defiled his two daughters, he said, “I don’t think so; I doubt if such allegation was true.”
Also speaking, one of the neighbours, who would not want his name mentioned, described Udoh as “callous and irresponsible,” adding that the children were not supposed to be left with him.
A trader in the area, who simply identified herself as Madam Bolutife, said, “My concern is the mother of the children; she is supposed to come and take her kids and not let this man (Bassey) kill them.”
Meanwhile, all efforts to contact the suspect as at the time of filing this report, proved abortive.
