Child labour: Woman arrested in Anambra

The Anambra State Government has arrested a woman, Eneh Ogechukwu, for using a 10-year-old girl to beg for alms, despite repeated warnings to desist from it.

Ogechukwu, aged 27, from the Udi community in Enugu State, was caught at Oyeolisa Ogbunike area of Anambra State using a 10-year-old girl from Benue State for alms begging and other sundry offences.

The Commissioner for Women and Social Welfare, Ify Obinabo who arrested her on Friday, also handed over the culprit to the police, saying she would be charged in court.

Obinabo, who expressed displeasure over the development, despite her numerous warnings for perpetrators to desist forthwith, vowed not to let anyone who is caught again go scot-free.

She said, “Anambra State is not a place where perpetrators of crime thrive, especially using children for begging. We will continue to get as many defaulters as possible until sanity is brought to the state.”

When interrogated, the culprit said she was only trying to help the 10-year-old girl and her family solicit support from the public in order to get money for the child’s medical treatment.

She informed the commissioner that the said girl is suffering from tumor disease and her tummy became protruded, hence she started using her to solicit for alms to cater to the needed surgery.

She disclosed that she started using kids for begging in December 2022, and has so far made the sum of N100,000 but the sum of N400,000 is demanded by their doctor for the tumor surgery.

After the questioning, the culprit was handed over to the Ogidi Police Division and the case was transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department in Awka and will soon be arraigned before the Children, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Magistrate court in Awka.

The commissioner thereafter took the 10-year-old to the hospital for medical examination and possible treatment. Punch