Police arrests couple for allegedly maltreating seven-year-old girl over ‘witchcraft’

The Ogun State police command said on Wednesday a 57-year-old man, Joseph Akporugo and his wife, Janet, had been arrested over the alleged maltreatment of a seven-year-old girl in Awa-Ijebu area of the state.

The command’s spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi who disclosed to journalists in Abeokuta, said the couple accused the child of witchcraft.

He said preliminary investigation by the police revealed that the victim was Akporugo’s granddaughter.

According to him, the child’s ordeal began when her father died and she was accused of killing him through witchcraft.

He said the child has been living with her grandfather and his wife since her biological father’s death.

Oyeyemi said: “However, on Tuesday, she (child) walked up to a policeman who lives on the same street with her and narrated how she was maltreated.

READ ALSO: Police arrest woman for ‘breaking’ five-yr-old stepson’s legs, arms’

“The girl, who spoke in Yoruba dialect, told the ‘policeman they beat me everyday and accused me of being a witch.

“She pointed to wounds on her stomach, saying ‘they were inflicted on me by them. They put a rubber on the fire and placed it on my stomach and other parts of my body.’

“The Constable took her to Awa-Ijebu police station where the case was recorded. The DPO, CSP Adewalehinmi subsequently detailed detectives to the couple’s house, and they were promptly arrested.

“On interrogation, the couple were unable to justify their devilish maltreatment of the innocent little girl.

“Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, has ordered a proper investigation into the case with the view to diligently prosecute the suspects.”

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