A 7-year-old child has been administered hot water bath and hot candle wax at different times by her guardian, Mrs Juliet Igwe who accused her of stealing in Imo State, South East.
The inhuman treatment melted on the fatherless child identified as Onyeachi, occurred in Idiator Loca Government Area of the State.
The brutal assault which began in 2024, caught the Nigeria Police Command operatives, who rescued the victim and arrested the 38-year-old suspect.
In a viral video he shared on social media, the Command’s spokesman, Henry Okoye who confirmed Juliet arrest and condemned the act.
The police spokesman revealed that the victim was began to live with Juliet in 2024 when the father of the victim who is a brother-in-law to Juliet’s husband, died.
Okoye explained that the victim has been taken to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC in Imo State for urgent treatment of the high degree burn as a result of the assault.
According to him, “The Imo State Police Command has arrested a 38-year-old suspect, Juliet Igwe for involving herself in various forms of serious assault on a 7-year-old child, Onyeachi who has lost her father”.
“Since the death of her father, Juliet has been mistreating the minor”, Okoye, while recalling the incident said, “recently, she (Juliet) carried Onyeachi both hands and dipped them in a hot boiling water”.
He also said, “the victim suffered high degree burns. She also went further to use hot candle wax and inflicted injury on her body”.
“This injury extends to her private part. This is high level of man’s inhumanity to man”, according to Okoye.
In an interview, the criminal suspect, confessed to the alleged crime and admitted that the victim’s father is her husband’s late brother.
Commenting on the investigation, the police image maker said the Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma, has directed the State Criminal Investigative Department, SCID to commence a thorough investigation into the crime and ensure that the suspect involved is brought to book”.
“We want to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for this wonderful opportunity that he has given you extra five years. We are very, very grateful. This renewal is a clear national endorsement of your monumental contributions to national security, public health, women and youth protection. We are confident that your continued leadership will further fortify the nation’s fight against drug trafficking and promote sustainable peace and stability”, she noted.
She described Marwa’s leadership at NDLEA as transformative and inspiring. “Over the years, you have demonstrated what strong ethical and visionary public service truly means. Under your leadership, the Agency has recorded unprecedented achievements from dismantling sophisticated drug trafficking networks to intercepting record level quantities of illicit substances, improving intelligence driven operations, expanding community based preventive education and strengthening rehabilitation pathways for victims of substance abuse. We are very grateful for that. These achievements are not just institutional milestones, they represent hope for millions of families, especially women and children, who often suffer the silent painful consequences of drug related crime, domestic challenges and societal instability”, she stated.
While seeking further partnership with NDLEA in the fight against the drug scourge, Princess Azura said “at NCWS, we have also been actively mobilising women, mothers, teachers and community groups to participate in the fight against substance abuse. Our ongoing school outreach programmes, advocacy forums and community sensitisation campaigns across the states have proven that when women are fully engaged, prevention becomes more effective.”
She said the NCWS is eager to explore strategic areas of cooperation with NDLEA, including training of the Council’s national officers and state leaders as community anti-drug ambassadors; joint advocacy campaigns targeting mothers and caregivers; rehabilitation and reintegration especially for women and youths affected by substance abuse, among others.
In his response, Marwa expressed appreciation to the NCWS leaders for the visit and their kind remarks about him and President Tinubu. He said as the umbrella body for all women societies across the country, it is imperative for NDLEA to partner with the NCWS. He said the Agency considers the drug menace as Nigeria’s number one problem today because it affects everyone and every community directly or indirectly, adding that with a population of about 15million drug users, there’s the need for a whole of society response.
“So, this is a big challenge and government cannot handle it alone, we have to have the whole of society to work with us. So NCWS, we don’t have any bigger partners than you because you are the mothers handling families all over the country, and it is very, very critical that you stand up. You have to stand up and be part of this struggle to redeem the souls of our young boys and girls, including the women who are afflicted”, he stated.
The NDLEA boss assured the women leaders that the NDLEA will not only partner with them but will equally organise Drug Use Prevention, Treatment and Care (DPTC) training to equip them for the task ahead in 2026. “We will hold a DPTC training for you, we usually to do that for governors’ spouses and I think we will tailor it to exactly what you will need, so that you can also take it down to the states, and down to the grassroots.”
He urged them to also buy in and take ownership of the current push for drug integrity test for intending couples as part of efforts to discourage substance abuse and encourage early detection and treatment, especially among the youth. 
