Tina Idoroyen, a food vendor in Calabar Cross River State, has allegedly brutalised Chiamaka Idoroyen, her five-year-old daughter, for stealing fish.

On March 12, Idoroyen prepared 19 pieces of fish for the day’s business before leaving to attend to other things. Upon her return, she discovered that Chiamaka had eaten 18 pieces of the fish. To teach her a lesson, she boiled water and dipped the minor’s hands in it.

Subsequently, eyewitnesses reported the case to Basic Rights Counsel Initiative (BRCI), a fundamental rights organisation.

Ideba Ele, BRCI’s Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, told FIJ that Chiamaka is receiving treatment in a general hospital. “Our organisation has been taking care of the medical bills for weeks now,” Ele wrote in a series of tweets.

Upon questioning, Idoroyen admitted that her action was a result of frustration.

“She stated that she was frustrated because she had borrowed N10,000 the previous week to pay N15,000. She used the money to start the fish business and also pay her children’s fees. So when she discovered what her younger daughter had done, she was angry,” Ele wrote on Twitter.

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Idoroyen has, however, not been reported to the police. “We are still majorly focused on the treatment of the child,” Ele told FIJ. “James Ibor, the principal counsel, has stated that prosecution will be discussed as soon as the child heals reasonably.”

“The perpetrator will soon be handed over to the police for prosecution.”