Umuahia: The Abia State Police Command has arrested a 35-year-old woman, Mrs Gift Nwoko, for allegedly attempting to kill her 12-year-old ward, Miss Chimamanda Ebo.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Maureen Chinaka, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday in Umuahia.
Chinaka said preliminary investigations revealed that Nwoko, an indigene of Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, resides at the IBB Housing Estate in Umuahia and is the victim’s aunt.
According to the police spokesperson, the suspect allegedly attempted to kill the girl on Sunday after she failed to spread clothes as instructed before Nwoko left for the market.
She added that investigations also revealed that the suspect had repeatedly assaulted the child and allegedly threatened to kill her on several occasions.
“Operatives of the World Bank Divisional Police Headquarters, acting on actionable intelligence, swiftly responded to the scene.
“They rescued the victim, arrested the suspect and recovered the knife allegedly used in the attack,” Chinaka said.
She said the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for further investigation.
According to her, the suspect will be charged with attempted murder upon the conclusion of the investigation.
Chinaka condemned the alleged act, urging members of the public to shun all forms of violence and promptly report similar incidents to the nearest police station.
“Together, we can keep Abia safe. See something, say something,” she said.
