A 17-year-old teenager identified as Samuel Onyeme was on Sunday allegedly beaten and locked inside a dog cage for visiting a female classmate, Miss Anastasia Celestine in Asaba, Delta state.
Chronicle NG gathered that the incident happened when Onyeme visited his female classmate in her residence around 6 p.m.
The victim’s mother, Mrs. Onyeme, who spoke to our correspondent on Monday, said it was a bitter experience she received at Mr. Celestine’s house.
She said, “My son, Samuel, a 17-year-old senior secondary student of Redeemers International High School, Asaba, Delta State, visited his classmate, Anastasia Celestine, at her residence after she invited him.
“My son said they were having a discussion outside the house of Mr. Celestine when he was brutally assaulted by her father and his two sons.
“They attacked him on the street, dragged him into their compound, and inflicted severe physical injuries on him. You see his head; he said they used wooden planks and locked him inside a dog cage.
“During the assault, they confiscated his mobile phone and called me (mother), deceiving me into coming to the scene. Upon my arrival, I was deprived of seeing him for two hours.”
She added that her daughter, Jessica, who was outside attempting to seek help, was also subjected to assault by members of the Celestine family when she tried to re-enter the compound.
“The situation escalated when Ben, the other of my sons, who is the elder brother to Samuel, contacted a family friend, who then reached out to a human rights organisation before they mobilised police. Officers were mobilised to rescue Samuel from the dog cage around 10:00 pm that night.”
Speaking further, Mr. Victor Ojei, a human rights activist who reported the incidence to the Delta State Police Command on Tuesday, stated that he mobilised the police before Samuel was freed from the dog cage and called the act barbaric and horrible.
In a petition addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Delta State Police Command, Ojei demanded that Mr. Celestine and his sons be investigated and prosecuted immediately for kidnapping, unlawful detention, assault, and attempted murder in accordance with Nigerian Criminal Law and the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law.
The petition, copied to the Attorney General, Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Delta State, and the State Coordinator, National Human Rights Commission, Asaba, Delta State, demanded justice.
“One Onyeme Ben contacted a family friend, who then reached out to our organisation. Following our report to the Delta State Police, officers were mobilised, and Master Onyeme Samuel was rescued from the dog cage around 10:00 pm that night.
“Based on the above facts, Mr. Celestine and his sons have committed criminal offences, which include unlawful detention of Mrs. Onyeme Onome for two hours against her will and the forcible confinement of Master Onyeme Samuel in a dog cage from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm, which contravenes Section 364 of the Criminal Code Act.
“The brutal assault on Master Onyeme Samuel using wooden planks, resulting in multiple injuries and psychological trauma, is a violation of Section 355 of the Criminal Code Act.
“Attempted murder; threats to pour fuel and set Master Onyeme Samuel ablaze amount to attempted murder under Section 320 of the Criminal Code Act.”
Chronicle NG gathered that the victim, Samuel, is currently receiving treatment at the Asaba Specialist Hospital as a result of physical injuries and psychological suffering suffered during the incident.
When reached, the Delta State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, said he hadn’t received the report of the incident as of the time of filling out this report.
