The Hon. Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs in Cross River State, Dr. Mrs. Helen Isamoh Egodo has rescued a 10 year old child, master Ephraim Chinonso God’swill from physical torture and abuse perpetrated by his own biological parent. The rescue mission which took place on Tuesday 18th February 2025 was launched in collaboration with the Department of Gender and Child Protection of the Cross River State Command of the Nigerian Police Force. The Hon. commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs was alerted to Master Ephraim’s condition hy a distress report from a well meaning Nigerian who witnessed the incessant and malicious attack on the child by his own mother.
According to the informant, the mother of the child, …. has been in the habit of always beating the child and chasing him out of the house even at very odd hours of the night for not remitting complete monies made from sales while hawking the mother’s wares. This recurrent incident, according to the informant is what attracted the sympathy of one of her neighbours who called at the Ministry’s office to lodge the complaint, which in turn prompted the Hon. Commissioner to lunch a quick response to rescue the child.
Narrating her own side of the story, the mother of the victim stated that her action was as a result of the combined frustration and anger from Ephraim’s father abandoning the child to her and the fact that the child has been in the habit of stealing the little money she tries to gather for the upkeep of herself and the child.
Further investigations revealed that the Father of master Ephraim, a trader at Watt market, had since the birth of the child abandoned the child to the mother and refused to take responsibility for the child’s upkeep. The woman, it was also gathered, is a widow and mother of 4 children. At the time of this report, efforts are being made to locate the father of the child and to make him commit to his responsibilities towards the child.
Speaking on the issue, the Hon Commissioner stated that it was out of place for the mother of the child to vent her frustration and anger on the innocent child. She made it known that every child residing in the state is under the protection of the state by law and that the State will do everything possible to see that such a child is well protected in accordance with the Cross River State Child Protection law 2023 and the Cross River VAPP law.
She equally noted that it is wrong for a father to abandon his own child and refuse to take responsibility for the sustenance of the child whom he fathered and that such a behavior will not be condoned under her watch as Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs.
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