The Nigeria Police Force, Sokoto State Command has rescued a 12 years old girl who was said to have been caged for eight months by her guardians identified as Emmanuel Basey and his wife, Esther Emmanuel.
The girl, Joy was also said to have been denied food throughout the period of her confinement at Sokoto cinema area in Sokoto North Local Government Area.
It was learnt that the guardians took the action because “she is mentally unstable” which was later proved to be false according to the police.
The spokesman of the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Sanusi Abubakar, who confirmed the incident, said the girl was rescued on Thursday while the suspects were arrested and detained at the Dadin Kowa police station.
“They kept the girl in a cage at their compound and starved her of food for eight months.
“When our men broke the door of the cage, the girl was too frail to walk because she was emaciated.
“We met her in a very horrible situation, urinating and excreting inside the cage.
“The girl was taken to the specialist’s hospital for treatment,” he said.
He, however, disclosed that both the victim and the suspects would be handed over to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Person and other Related Matters (NAPTIP) for further action.
Meanwhile, Sokoto State government through the ministry of Women and Children Affairs has intervened.
The Sokoto state Commissioner for Women and Children Affairs, Kulu Sifawa in the company of the state police commissioner, Kamaldeen Okunlola and officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons visited the crime scene to get first-hand information.
Visiting the victim at the Sokoto State Specialists Hospital where she is been attended to, the commissioner says the state government is taking responsibility for treating the victim and ensure she is properly recuperated.
The Commissioner call for proper investigation into the matter to assist in prosecuting the suspects in order to serve as a deterrent to others engaged in similar acts.
She says there is no room for assaults and violation of any kind against a person in the state as the government is committed to fighting such an evil act.
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