"What really happened was self-defence; it wasn’t intentional. He was trying to block me with an iron chair, when the kettle l was holding which had hot water in it poured on him, when he wanted to run," Abimbola Oreoluwa stated.
Abimbola Oreoluwa, a housewife, has been apprehended by the officers of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Ondo State for allegedly inflicting bodily injury on her 12-year-old houseboy.
Oreoluwa allegedly attacked the boy with a razor blaze and hot water for stealing her personal belongings.
Pedro Awili, the NSCDC Commandant, disclosed this in Akure, the Ondo State capital, while parading the suspect before journalists on Tuesday.
Awili stated that Oreoluwa was arrested following a tip-off on how she had been maltreating her houseboy since he started living with her.
“Our investigation revealed that the boy is from Benin Republic and the woman got him through his master in Abeokuta, Ogun State. She brought him as a houseboy and paid N120,000 to his master. We are going to arrest the man in Abeokuta because this is a case of a child abuse and human trafficking. The woman has been maltreating the boy. She doesn’t allow him to go to school; she seriously abuses the boy by beating him up for any little mistake he makes,” he said.
Awili called on those engaging the services of househelps to always show them love instead of maltreating them. He also urged people to desist from engaging underage children as househelps or face the full wrath of the law.
“If you know that to beat up your househelp or inflict injuries on them, especially the underage ones is your aim of engaging them, it is better to rethink and desist from such attitude. Parents need to know about the welfare of their children and know who to give them to, if need be,” he added.
Speaking with newsmen, Oreoluwa said she acted in self-defence.
“He has been living with me for almost a year now and is fond of destroying my properties: my car, my wears and many other things. He also steals. I got him from one woman at Abeokuta and l didn’t know he is from Cotonou. I told the woman that l needed someone as an assistant and not a child like this," she said.
“When the boy came, l told the woman that the boy is too small for me to accept. She said l should just leave him and that she would bring someone in two months. Since that time, l have been calling her but she didn’t show up.
“But what really happened was self-defence; it wasn’t intentional. He was trying to block me with an iron chair, when the kettle l was holding which had hot water in it poured on him, when he wanted to run," she stated.