Photos: Guardian burns boy’s body with iron in Lagos

A trader simply identified as Mama Sarah, pictured far right, has been accused of burning with hot Iron, the body of a 12 year old boy, Micheal Maduagu, who is under her custody at her residence at the Bar Beach area in Lagos.

 The Nation reports that Neighbors and fellow traders of Mama Sarah, a cleaner with the Nigerian Naval Dockyard, say she is known to usually beat the little boy with all sorts of dangerous weapons such as Hot iron, blade, and others.
The Executive Director of Rural and Urban Development Initiative (RUDI), a pressure group, Musbau Agbodemu, said the matter was first reported to his Ebute Meta, Lagos office on Tuesday January 12th, by Mama Sarah's fellow trader. He said he has reported the matter to the Lagos state Ministry of Woman Affairs and Poverty Alleviation

“The boy is now in their custody. When he was brought to our office, he wasn’t in a good state. His body is full of scars and bruises. He couldn’t talk much because of fear. I learnt she brought him to Lagos with the pretext of taking care of him after his father’s death. I just pray this matter will be treated with utmost urgency because she was summoned on Wednesday” he said.

 A neighbour of Mama Sarah:

 "I moved to Bar Beach six years ago and I got to know Mama Sarah through Michael. He was always sad. I mostly saw him on the expressway selling fuel. Things I cannot lift, Michael will lift it. There was a time I bought him food; I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the woman eating the food. The boy once pleaded with me to take him home but I couldn’t because I didn’t want to be accused of kidnapping. So, I asked him to report his guardian to Bar Beach Police Station but they didn’t take his matter serious. Most times she accuses him of stealing but I know he is not a thief. There was a day Sarah, her daughter, beat him with a stick. It was when I couldn’t continue to see the boy suffer I took him to RUDI. There is nothing she cannot use to beat him. At times, she used naked wire, hot knife and put grinded pepper on his wound. She is that mean. I personally went to her place of work to report to her boss. I don’t know the reason they haven’t come to pick her. Is it until she escapes? I think she also needs to be tortured to know how it feels” she said.

Also speaking, Destiny Francis who resides in the area as well said

“I was shocked when I heard that she uses hot knife on boy’s legs. Three of her own children left her when her trouble was too much. It is just her last born that lives with her and that one is something else. She sometimes beat her mother. I want justice to prevail.”

Further investigation into the matter by the state police is ongoing