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The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a woman who allegedly flogged and locked a 10-year-old boy in a kennel.
It would be recalled that there was outrage last week on social media after a video went viral showing the woman beating the boy for an unknown offence before locking him in the kennel housing some dogs and walking away with the keys
A neighbour who secretly filmed the incident later posted it online.
Nigerians have been calling for the arrest and prosecution of the woman on social media and a former spokesperson for the Zone 2 Police command, Dolapo Badmos at the time promised to act on the video.
On Thursday, in a post on her Instagram page, Badmos disclosed that the suspect has been arrested.
She said: “Last week, we got the report of a lady who beat up a lad and threw him into a dungeon of dogs.
“The domestic violence response team of the Lagos State Police Command was activated. The team went into action and the lady was arrested.
“The suspect is in custody and will be charged to court. The boy who happens to be an orphan has been rescued and kept in a shelter provided by the Lagos State Government.”
Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the Lagos State Domestic Sexual Violence Response Team, Lola Adeniyi, has commended the resident who recorded the video and gave information to the security agency.
She said the suspect was traced based on the information from the resident that reported the incident.
“On getting to the house, she was not around. So, we dropped a letter of invitation to her and she responded yesterday. She was arrested and the child taken into protective custody,” Adeniyi said.
She urged Nigerians not to keep quiet when they see child abuse in their environment and applauded the the resident for being a good Nigerian.
“You can report anonymously and your identity will be preserved. The most important thing is that when you see something, say something,” she added.
The spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Bala Elkana also confirmed the incident in a statement.
He identified the woman as Onyinye, 24, a resident of Aguda in Surulere.
The statement read: “On August 14, 2019, a team of detectives from the Gender Unit, Command’s Headquarters Ikeja, arrested Onyinye for assault and child abuse. This followed a viral video on the social media showing the suspect torturing one Chibike of same address.
“The video also showed the suspect locking the boy up in a kennel, sharing space with dogs. The video was widely condemned by well-meaning Nigerians.
“She claimed to have locked up the boy for a few hours before bringing him out. She alleged that the boy took a hot drink in their refrigerator and was misbehaving. That the suspect smashed the side mirror of her Toyota Camry with stone which made her detain him in the kennel.
“Investigation revealed that the survivor lost his parents and was brought to Lagos in 2012 from Anambra State by the mother of the suspect along with his two siblings. The suspect and the survivor are cousins.
“The suspect’s mother is the elder sister of the survivor’s father. The suspect will be charged to court.”