A police inspector serving in Bayelsa State, identified as Sunday Idey, has been arrested for allegedly brutalising his three children after accusing them of being members of a witchcraft group.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that Idey, who is attached to the Anti-Cultism Unit of the Igbogene Police Division, allegedly assaulted the minors over the weekend at his residence in Yenagoa, the state capital.
The incident reportedly caused panic in the neighbourhood as residents, alarmed by the cries of the children, alerted operatives of Operation Doo Akpor, who swiftly intervened.
The state Commissioner of Police, Francis Idu, confirmed the arrest on Friday, saying the officer was immediately taken into custody while the children were rescued and taken to a hospital for treatment.
“The officer is presently in detention and an investigation is ongoing. The welfare of the children has been prioritised,” the commissioner said.
Eyewitnesses said that the children, all under the age of 12, sustained severe bruises from repeated beatings with cables and belts. One of the neighbours, who pleaded anonymity, described the scene as “heartbreaking and unimaginable.”
“We heard the children screaming for help. When we rushed there, we saw blood stains and marks on their bodies. We couldn’t believe a father could do that to his own children,” the source said.
The incident has since sparked outrage among child rights advocates and gender-based violence campaigners in the state.
The Chairperson of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Bayelsa Chapter, Dr. Boma Toney Miebai, described the attack as “barbaric and inhumane,” calling for a thorough investigation and prosecution of the officer.
“It is shameful that a law enforcement officer who is supposed to protect others would turn around to torture his own children under the guise of witchcraft,” Miebai said.
Similarly, the National Association of Women Against Gender-Based Violence, led by Dr. Dise Ogbise Goddy-Harry, and the Chairperson of the Do Foundation, Barrister Dianna Iluma Pius, condemned the act and urged the police authorities to ensure justice for the victims.
Officials from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Gender also visited the hospital where the children are receiving treatment and pledged to provide rehabilitation support for them.
Meanwhile, child protection advocates have renewed calls for the enforcement of the Child Rights Act in Bayelsa, stressing that superstition and witchcraft-related abuses continue to endanger children across the Niger Delta region.
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