35-year old man bags 24-hour community service for child abuse in Osun
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo
An Osun State Family Court sitting in Osogbo has sentenced a 35-year-old man, Ola Emmanuel, to 24-hour community service for child abuse.
Emmanuel, a divorcée, was arraigned in court by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Osun State Command for abusing his six years old son in Osogbo on the 17th of March, 2022.
The six-year-old victim has also not been attending school due to the inability of the father to pay his school fees.
The defendant told the court that he prepared beans, served his son and kept the remaining for himself to eat it when he returned from work, but on getting home, he discovered that his son had finished all the food.
This act, he said, infuriated him and made him to beat the boy mercilessly with a cable inflicting injuries on his body in the process.
The court found Emmanuel guilty as charged and therefore sentenced him to 24 hours’ community service while the boy was ordered to remain in the custody of the Osun State government at the Children’s Home.
Speaking on the incident, in a statement, NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Atanda Olabisi said that a concerned neighbour raised the alarm and contacted the corps.
According to her, some members of the community where Emmanuel resides said that the victim had been subjected to regular torture and abuse by his father.
Olabisi said Emmanuel, on interrogation said his son was greedy and was fond of picking up things that did not belong to him, hence his anger towards him to discourage his bad behavior.
After investigation by the Anti-Human Trafficking, Irregular Migration and Gender Based Unit of the NSCDC, Osun state Command, Emmanuel was arraigned at the Family Court.
While commenting on the judgment, NSCDC Commandant in the state, Emmanuel Ocheja stressed that any parent, guardian or whosoever that is found abusing a child would be made to face the consequences.
He urged the public not to relent in giving adequate and proactive information to the Corps for prompt response.
