The police in Imo State caught a teacher named Mrs. Blessing Emmanuel. They say she treated a 12-year-old girl named Amarachi Emmanuel very badly. The police found out on Tuesday when a helper named Chidiebube Okeoma, who is also a journalist, told them what Mrs. Emmanuel did.
Two ladies from Owerri, named Eunice and Amarachi, saw little Amarachi selling water in bags on the street. They noticed she had many cuts and bruises and told Okeoma about her sad situation.
A video shared by Okeoma showed that Amarachi’s body had many wounds from cuts and beatings her stepmother gave her. Okeoma said he took the girl to Umuguma General Hospital. There, the doctors are taking good care of her.
Okeoma, the helper, said, “Amarachi is just 12 years old. Her mom died in 2018, and then her dad married the mean stepmom in 2019. They live in Nekede, Owerri. Amarachi and her brother and sister haven’t gone to school for a long time. This is because their stepmom makes them sell water every day instead of going to school.”
Amarachi told Okeoma how her stepmom treats them very badly. They have to sell water from morning till night and often go to bed with empty stomachs. The last trouble happened when Amarachi cooked rice and ate without asking her stepmom. When her stepmom found out, she hurt the girl badly.
Okeoma took Amarachi to see the police, and Mrs. Emmanuel was caught. To help Amarachi, he also took her to the hospital to get better. Okeoma signed her up for a health insurance plan so she can get care for free.
Okeoma also said he is working with many groups to help Amarachi. These groups want to make sure children like Amarachi are safe and unharmed. The Owerri lawyers and media now want to help and protect Amarachi. In today’s world, no child should be treated as Amarachi has been.
Okeoma wants Amarachi and her siblings to leave the streets to go back to school. Right now, they live in a small, poor house. Once Amarachi gets better, they will need a nicer place to live. Amarachi’s lips, eyes, leg, hand, and stomach need a lot of care because of the injuries she got. She needs all of our help to feel loved and safe again. He believes kind people can make a big difference for her.
When people asked about this situation, the police spokesperson, Henry Okoye, said the police chief, Aboki Danjuma, wants to make sure everything is done correctly to help Amarachi.