Police in Cross River State have arrested a Cross River State resident, Ibiong Bassey, over a viral video showing the alleged assault on her five-year-old niece.
PREMIUM TIMES is protecting the victim’s identity because she is a minor.
Eitokpah Sunday, the police spokesperson in Cross River, said operatives of A Division, Calabar, arrested the suspect on 11 March at about 10:45 a.m., following the release of the video clip.
Mr Sunday stated in a statement that “Preliminary investigations reveal that the suspect assaulted the minor with a spatula, inflicting injuries around the child’s right eye.”
He added that further examination also showed bruises on other parts of her body, indicating sustained abuse.
The police spokesperson said the investigation is ongoing and that further updates will be provided.
The footage, shared across social media platforms recently, drew public outrage after it showed the young girl, reportedly acting as a domestic help to her aunt, being beaten repeatedly over allegations of stealing meat from a pot of soup.
Online posts linked to the video claimed that Ms Bassey, a mother of four, forced the girl, who is said to be her late sister’s daughter, to act as a nanny for her youngest child, while excluding her from going to school. Neighbours who spoke in the video clip claimed that the victim had been brutally assaulted by the same woman in the past.
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The suspect and her husband are said to be pastors.
When contacted by PREMIUM TIMES, Uyo Iban Amplifier Initiative, a civil society organisation working on women and child rights in Cross River State, called on the police and the Cross River State Government to ensure justice for the child.
The organisation’s coordinator, Okoho Ene, asked for stronger enforcement of the state’s Child Rights Law.
“There are many other children who face the same kind of abuse but never receive attention,” Ms Ene said. “The government must urgently sensitise the public on the Child Rights Law, strengthen community vigilance, and ensure offenders face the full weight of the law.”