Woman assaults seven-year-old niece with hot knife for allegedly stealing chewing gum

For allegedly stealing a neighbour’s chewing gum, a seven-year-old girl was allegedly injured with a red-hot knife by her 25-year-old aunt, Loveth Ozoihu.

Ozoihu, who was arraigned at an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court yesterday, however, denied the allegation.

The defendant, who is facing a charge of assault, occasioning harm, was granted a bail sum of N200,000 by the judge, Mrs. Olufunke Sule-Amzat.

Sule-Amzat ordered the defendant to provide two responsible sureties as part of the bail conditions before adjourning the case until March 7 for trial.
She said the sureties must be gainfully employed and show evidence of tax payments to the Lagos State government.

It was gathered that Ozoihu reportedly beat her niece to a pulp, and then burnt her with a red-hot knife from a cooking gas fire.

The defendant, according to the police prosecutor, Inspector Benson Emuerhi, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on February 2, at her residence at Josiah Aina Street, Alakuko, Lagos State.

“The defendant was, however, arrested by the police at Alakuko Division, following a tip-off from a neighbour, one Nmasi Okwudili, that they should rescue the victim, who was being abused by her aunt,” Emuerhi said.

He explained that the defendant beat the victim and used a red-hot knife to burn her buttocks for allegedly stealing her neighbour’s chewing gum.

Emuerhi said the defendant had earlier used a wire to beat the victim for taking fish from her soup and the stock she sells and ate without her knowledge.

The offence, he said, contravened Section 173 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015. The section prescribes a two-year prison term for offenders.