The Edo State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development has taken an 11-year-old girl, Rejoice Godswill, into protective custody following a viral video alleging that she was severely abused by her mother in the New Benin area of Benin City.
The video which was recorded by a human rights activist, Comrade Lucky Orukpe, showed the child with visible injuries.
It also featured her mother, identified as Beauty, admitting that she burned part of the girl’s buttocks with melted nylon cellophane as punishment for what she described as stubborn behaviour.
Upon receiving the report, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Eugenia Abdallah, immediately directed the arrest of the child’s mother and the stepfather to facilitate a thorough investigation into the allegations.
The suspects are currently being held at the New Benin Divisional Police Station and are expected to be transferred to the Edo State Police Command for further investigation.
The Ministry has since taken the child into protective custody, where she is receiving medical care, psychosocial support and temporary shelter while investigations continue. Hon. Abdallah praised commended Comrade Orukpe’s commitment to protecting vulnerable persons and advancing humanitarian causes.
The Commissioner reaffirmed the Edo State Government’s zero-tolerance stance on child abuse and warned parents, guardians and caregivers against subjecting children to any form of violence, cruelty or inhumane treatment.
She stressed that every child has the right to grow up in a safe, secure and protective environment, assuring the public that the Ministry would continue to work closely with law enforcement agencies to ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice in accordance with the law.
The Ministry also called on members of the public to promptly report cases of child abuse, neglect or exploitation to the appropriate authorities, emphasizing that safeguarding children is a shared responsibility.
According to the mother’s account in the viral video, she carried out the act while her husband was away from home, who said he confronted her after learning of the incident.
However, some residents of the neighbourhood alleged that the child’s stepfather assisted in restraining Rejoice while the mother inflicted the injuries. The Ministry noted that the allegations remain under police investigation.
The child was also observed to have several old injury marks on different parts of her body, raising concerns about possible previous incidents of abuse.
Authorities said the findings would form part of the ongoing investigation.
