A 14-year-Old pupil, Favour Nwankwo, has been left with severe injuries following a hot knife attack allegedly carried out by her father at their residence in Oko, Anambra State.

Favour, a Basic Six student of Destined Success Academy, was discovered by her teachers with burns and wounds covering her body when she reported to school yesterday. A viral video of the girl showed her unable to sit or wear clothes due to the extent of her injuries.

The school’s headmistress, Mrs Chioma Okoli, described the attack as inhumane and condemned the parents’ actions. “This is the height of wickedness. No matter what she did, it should never have come to this. Any sane parents would never inflict such pain on their child,” she told The Guardian.

Okoli disclosed that the school staff prevented Favour’s stepmother, Mrs Oluchi Nwankwo, from taking her away under the pretext of treating her wounds. She added that the incident had been reported to the Ministry of Education and relevant civil society organisations.

When contacted, Mrs Nwankwo denied involvement in the attack, claiming it was solely her husband’s action, which she allegedly tried to stop.

“It was entirely carried out by her father in anger. I tried to stop him, but he also threatened to use the knife on me,” she said. Narrating the events leading to the incident, Mrs Nwankwo said Favour had returned home late from school on Tuesday, broken some household items, and allegedly tampered with her academic result to change her position.

“She returned from school at about 7:30 p.m. and refused to explain why she was late. She later broke glasses her father bought during Christmas, which he forgave. But the issue of her result angered him.

“I discovered she had altered her poor result to change her position in class. When her father confronted her, she denied doing it. He became furious, asked her to kneel in the room, and then used a hot knife on her out of anger,” she narrated.

Mrs Nwankwo added that she attempted to stop her husband and later tried to prevent Favour from going to school to treat her injuries. “I went to her school to offer help, but they refused and told me to buy her medication, which I did. I had no hand in what happened to her,” she said. The case has drawn widespread outrage, with calls for authorities to intervene and ensure justice for the teenager.