From Marcel Duru, Owerri.
A woman, Peace Jonah has been granted N500, 000 bail by a chief Magistrate in Imo State, C.J Nkwoada after she was arraigned by the police in the state. The suspect was was arraigned on Friday by the police on one count charge bordering on inflicting grievous harm on a 14 year old girl, Chilaka Osinachi. The operatives of the State Criminal Investigations Department in Owerri had in August arrested Jonah following a petition written against her by a human rights organization, Sand For Humanity Foundation. Arraigning the suspect, the police prosecutor, Sampson Obodo, told the court that the woman used boiled water to batter the minor’s breasts and other parts of her body. Obodo told the court that the suspect’s action was illegal as punishable under section 355 of the criminal code Cap C38 laws of the country and prayed the court to remand her in prison; while counsel to the woman, Innocent Onyekwere, asked the court to release the woman on bail, In his rulling, the Magistrate granted the suspect N500, 000 bail, deposition of recent passport photographs and verification of the house address of her surety. The charge sheet read ” that you Peace Jonah on the 21 day of August, 2026, at Umuamadi Nguru Mbaise, triable in the Ngor Okpala Magisterial district did unlawfully assault one Chilaka Osinachi by pouring on her hot water on her belly and her breasts which caused her grievous harm and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 355 of the criminal code Cap C38 laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004 as applicable in Imo State of Nigeria.”The president of the human rights organization, Chidiebube Okeoma, which initiated the arrest of the woman, disclosed in a statement in Owerri on Sunday that the organization was seriously fighting all forms of child abuse in the state.Okeoma, a child rights advocate, said that using boiled water to batter a girl child was a criminal offense. Saying that bail is not exoneration of crime, Okeoma said that his organization would pursue the court proceedings to its logical conclusion so as to serve as a deterrent to others who abuse children. Okeoma disclosed that Stand For Humanity Foundation got wind of the abuse on the minor through its whistleblowing policy, urging members of the public to keep reporting abuses on children to the organization.
