JUSTICE Bashir Yusuf Shittu of the Kaduna Magistrate Court has asked that Yemi Awolola, a deaconess with the Living Faith Church popularly known as Winner’s Chapel who was on Saturday arrested for allegedly brutalising a 14-year-old girl in her custody be remanded at Kaduna State Correctional Service.
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Awolola on Tuesday pleaded guilty to torturing Princess with hot knife and other device when arraigned before the Court.
Recall how Awolola, a staff of Kaduna office of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and her children tortured 14-year-old Princess Micheal, who she had taken from an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp with the promise to send her to school.
On Tuesday, Awolola and two of her children who are alleged to be complicit in the suit were arraigned before Justice Bashir Yusuf Shittu of the Kaduna Magistrate Court.
After the charges were read out to the defendants, the mother, Awolola pleaded guilty to the charges.
However, Justice Shittu said he ‘lacked jurisdiction’ to convict the defendants on the allegations as levied against them by the Kaduna State Government.
He granted bail of N700,000 to Awolola’s two children but denied bail to the deaconess.
Shittu ordered that Awolola be remanded at the custody of the Kaduna State Correctional Service pending the further hearing of the matter.
The Judge adjourned the case until August 27 for further hearing.
Kaduna State Human Services and Social Development (KDHSSD) had revealed how the woman and her children used hot knife to burn Princess’ body while also using a lighter to burn her genital and inserting same into her body.
Following this abuse, the girl was taken to a hospital in Barnawa, Kaduna for medical treatment.
Living with Awolola’s family, Princess had faced numerous physical abuses by the family including making her sleep in the restroom.
“For the 15 months of Princess’s stay with Mrs. Yemi, she has been consistently abused and battered. She is made to sleep in the restroom & oftentimes is forced to drink pepper which Mrs. Yemi rubs on Princess’s body,” the KDHSSD wrote.
The Kaduna State Government had assured that the woman would be charged with Child labour and Violence against Children.
In a tweet response, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari assured the public that necessary action would be taken on the woman said to be a staff of the agency.
“NNPC will surely follow through and take necessary action. We look forward to be availed with the outcome of the investigations,” Kyari responded.
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