A 13-year-old boy, Ifeanyi Umoke has sustained severe burns after he was thrown into fire for allegedly stealing uncooked rice in Ebonyi state.
The incident happenned on Saturday, November 7, at Inikiri Benard village, in Effium community, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi state.
It was gathered that the victim lost his mother and is currently living with his father, who is bedridden with a chronic mental illness.
Umoke was accused of stealing rice from a shop at a market, after which two men, Paul Amah and Paul Nweke of the same village, tied up his arms and legs, then threw him into a burning fire.
The men reportedly abandoned him and left him to burn to death despite groaning in pains and calling for help.
It was gathered that it took the intervention of sympathizers who brought the victim out of the fire and rushed him to AMURT hospital in Effium, but due to the severity of the damages, he was rejected.
Confirming the incident, Chairman of Human Rights Defenders (HURIDE) Ebonyi State chapter, Sampson Oko Nweke, condemned the dastardly act, saying;
HURIDE got a call from one Mr George Etamesor of the HRCRC over this grave abuse on this poor child.
Because he was caught trying to steal some rice in their village market, he was tied up, thrown into burning fire in a refuse dump in the market and allowed to roast like a goat. The perpetrators, Mr Paul Ifere Amah and Mr Paul Nweke of the same village after committing this evil, saw the critical condition of their victim, yet they abandoned him to groan to death.
He expressed;
It took the intervention of sympathisers to rush him to AMURT hospital there in Effium,but due to the severity of the damages, the roasted boy was declined treatment. Efforts were thereafter made to bring him to AE-FETHA2 where he is currently battling between life and death.
When HURIDE interviewed the perpetrators, they alleged that;
Ifeanyi has been in the habit of stealing cassava, yam and others. So this time, we caught him stealing our rice and we decided to teach him a lesson so that he will not come back to steal our food again. It was not our intention to burn his whole body. We only tied him up and after beating him, we tried to roast his toes in the fire, but because he was struggling, he slipped of our hands and fell into the fire and got burnt beyond our expectation.
Spokesperson of the Ebonyi State Police Command, DSP Loveth Odah, who confirmed the incident, however, said the police was yet to receive an official statement on the matter.
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