...Appeals to Enugu State Government to Bring Her Home for Healing
The Ụmụada Awgu Global, in collaboration with the Enugu Mmakụ Development Union (EMDU) and delegates from the entire Mmakụ community, has condemned the alleged brutalisation and confinement of a young girl in Owerri, Imo State, urging the Enugu State Government to intervene and facilitate her return to her ancestral home for proper healing, protection and rehabilitation.
The women group made the appeal after representatives of Ụmụada Awgu Global, EMDU and Mmakụ community visited the child, whose disturbing photographs and videos recently circulated widely on social media following her rescue from an alleged prolonged ordeal of physical abuse and confinement.
During the emotional visit, the delegation spent time with the child, interacted with her, listened to her account of what she had experienced and offered words of encouragement and solidarity. They also presented her with a token of support, assuring her that she was not alone in her difficult journey towards recovery.
The visit, however, left the delegation deeply concerned that the child's needs go far beyond the immediate medical attention she has received.
Ụmụada Awgu Global therefore made a heartfelt appeal to the Enugu State Government to urgently look into the circumstances surrounding the child and explore every lawful avenue that could enable her to be brought closer to her extended family and kinsmen in Enugu, where a coordinated structure of family, community, medical and social support can be established around her.
The group said the child's ordeal should not end with her rescue.
According to the delegation, the young girl needs sustained medical attention, psychological support, protection, rehabilitation and, most importantly, the opportunity to recover in an environment where she can once again experience the safety, affection and stability every child deserves.
Particular concern was also expressed over injuries reportedly sustained around the child's eyes, which the group said require continued specialised medical attention.
Ụmụada Awgu Global believes that returning the child to her extended family and community in Enugu, subject to all necessary legal and child-protection procedures, could provide a stronger support system for her long-term recovery, including continued healthcare, education, psychological care and eventual reintegration into school and community life.
The group also appealed to the Enugu State Government to work with relevant authorities in Imo State, law-enforcement agencies, medical professionals, social-welfare institutions and the child's family to ensure that any transfer is handled lawfully, safely and strictly in the best interest of the child.
The Association further called for compassion and appropriate professional intervention in dealing with the child's mother, who is currently reportedly in police custody.
According to information provided by members of the woman's community and kinsmen, there are concerns about her mental and psychological wellbeing. The group stressed that such concerns must be professionally assessed and should never be used as a substitute for proper medical diagnosis.
If an appropriate professional assessment establishes the presence of any mental-health condition, the mother, the group said, should receive the necessary medical and rehabilitative care while the safety and welfare of the child remain paramount.
“This is not simply about punishment. It is about saving a child, restoring her dignity and addressing whatever circumstances may have contributed to this tragedy,” the women group said.
Ụmụada Awgu Global commended the organisation that rescued the child, as well as the police and medical personnel who responded to the immediate crisis.
The group, however, stressed that the child's rescue should mark the beginning of her journey to recovery, not the end of society's responsibility towards her.
It therefore called for a coordinated intervention involving the Enugu State Government, relevant authorities in Imo State, the police, medical professionals, child-protection and social-welfare institutions, the family and community leadership.
The group also appealed to members of the public and well-meaning organisations to stop treating the child's suffering merely as viral social-media content.
“The pictures have gone viral. The outrage has been expressed. Now, the child needs something more powerful than virality, she needs a future.”
Ụmụada Awgu Global and the Mmakụ community therefore appealed directly to the Enugu State Government to hear the cry of the child and help establish a comprehensive pathway for her protection, healing, education and rehabilitation.
The delegation said its ultimate desire is simple: a healed child, a protected child, a child back in school, a mother receiving the care she needs, and a community taking responsibility for the welfare of its own.
Ụmụada Awgu Global reaffirmed its readiness to collaborate with the Enugu Mmakụ Development Union, Mmakụ community, the Enugu State Government, relevant government agencies, law-enforcement authorities, medical professionals, community leaders and civil-society organisations to ensure that the young girl does not become another forgotten victim after the cameras stop rolling and social-media attention fades.
The Association stressed that the case may have started in Owerri, but the child's journey to healing should not end there.
“Bring her home. Let her heal. Let her return to school. Let her know that she still has a community that cares.”
FOUNTAINCARE MEDIA
