Amarachi Emmanuel, 12, was hospitalised following severe abuse at the hands of her stepmother, Mrs. Blessing Emmanuel, an Imo State secondary school teacher.

The abuse was discovered after two women, Eunice and Amarachi, who saw the girl’s bruised body as she was selling sachet water on the streets, filed a complaint with the police. Chidiebube Okeoma, an activist and journalist located in Owerri, then reported the event to the police.

Amarachi was seen with serious bruises, scars, and machete cuts in a video that went viral and was released by Okeoma.

On Tuesday, the Owerri police detained Mrs. Emmanuel.

Declaring the arrest verified, Okeoma stated, “Amarachi Emmanuel is twelve years old. Her father wed the suspect in 2019, and her mother passed away in 2018. They reside in Owerri’s Nekede neighbourhood.

The girl has been out of school for years, as have her two siblings. The woman gave them orders to bring her sachet water each day and to return her sachets while their partners are in school.

“The girl told me that her stepmum dehumanises them,” he continued. They typically go to bed hungry and sell her fresh water from dawn to night. The girl claimed that after cooking and eating rice without the woman’s consent, the woman beat her when she got home. This was the most recent incident of battering.

“I took the girl to Owerri Area Command and got the woman arrested, immediately,” Okeoma added in her explanation. I brought the girl to Umuguma General Hospital, where she was admitted, in an attempt to save her life.

According to the journalist, “I have involved the Imo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, the Owerri Municipal Council Welfare Department, and the National Human Rights Commission in this case.”

“I’ve also received correspondence about this matter from other human rights organisations. The Nigeria Bar Association’s Owerri branch has also been in touch with me. The girl’s case is currently attracting the attention of numerous media outlets, according to Okeoma.

“Battering of children has no place in the 21st century,” he said, highlighting the importance of justice. I would like the woman to be charged, and the police are looking into it.

In addition, Okeoma mentioned that after Amarachi and her siblings heal and move into better housing, she would like to register them in school.

They are currently residing in a shack. When she is able to stand on her own again, they will require a respectable flat, he stated.

When contacted, Henry Okoye, the state’s police spokesperson, stated that Commissioner of Police Aboki Danjuma has mandated a comprehensive inquiry into the matter.