A 17-year-old male, Samuel Onyeme, was reportedly assaulted and confined within a dog cage last weekend for visiting a female classmate, Miss Anastasia Celestine......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
Sharpnews.ng learnt that the incident occurred when Onyeme arrived at his classmate’s home at approximately 6:00 PM.
The victim’s mother, Mrs. Onyeme, informed journalists on Monday, noting that her experience at Mr Celestine’s residence was more helpful.
She said, “My son, Samuel, a 17-year-old Senior Secondary student of Redeemers International High School, Asaba, Delta State, on Sunday, visited his classmate, Anastasia Celestine, at her residence after she invited him.
“My son said they were having a discussion outside the house of Mr Celestine when he was brutally assaulted by her father and his two sons.
“They attacked him on the street, dragged him into their compound, and inflicted severe physical injuries on him. You see his head, he said they used wooden planks and locked him inside a dog cage.
“During the assault, they confiscated his mobile phone and called me (mother), deceiving me into coming to the scene. Upon my arrival, I was deprived of seeing him for two hours.”
She said her daughter, Jessica, who was outside attempting to seek help, was also subjected to assault by members of the Celestine family when she tried to re-enter the compound.
“The situation escalated when Ben, the other of my sons, who is the elder brother to Samuel, contacted a family friend, who then reached out to a human rights organisation before they mobilised police, officers were mobilised to rescue Samuel from the dog cage around 10:00 pm that night,” the mother added.
A human rights advocate, Victor Ojei, who alerted the Delta State Police Command about a troubling incident, stated on Tuesday that he took the initiative to engage the police, leading to the rescue of Samuel from a dog cage. He condemned the act as both barbaric and inhumane.
In a formal petition directed to the Commissioner of Police at the Delta State Police Command, Ojei urged for an immediate investigation and prosecution of Celestine and his sons on charges of kidnapping, unlawful detention, assault, and attempted murder in accordance with Nigerian Criminal Law and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Laws.
The petition was also sent to the Attorney General of the Ministry of Justice in Asaba, Delta State, and the State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission in the same city, emphasizing the need for justice in this matter.
The petition reads: “One Onyeme Ben contacted a family friend, who then reached out to our organisation. Following our report to the Delta State Police, officers were mobilised, and Master Onyeme Samuel was rescued from the dog cage around 10:00 pm that night.
“Based on the above facts, Mr Celestine and his sons have committed criminal offences, which include unlawful detention of Mrs Onyeme Onome for two hours against her will and the forcible confinement of Master Onyeme Samuel in a dog cage from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm. which contravenes Section 364 of the Criminal Code Act.
“The brutal assault on Master Onyeme Samuel using wooden planks, resulting in multiple injuries and psychological trauma, is a violation of Section 355 of the Criminal Code Act.
“Attempted murder; threats to pour fuel and set Master Onyeme Samuel ablaze amount to attempted murder under Section 320 of the Criminal Code Act.”
The victim, Samuel, is presently undergoing treatment at the Asaba Specialist Hospital due to physical injuries and psychological trauma sustained during the incident.
Upon inquiry, the Police Public Relations Officer for the state, SP Bright Edafe, stated that he had not received any report regarding the incident at the time this report was prepared.