A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Imo State has sentenced a woman, Rose Okon, to six months in prison for assaulting her 14-year-old niece, who was reportedly in her care.
Okon was convicted after pleading guilty to a one-count charge of assault before Chief Magistrate C.J. Nkwoada.
The court, however, gave the convict an option of paying a N50,000 fine.
According to the charge sheet, the incident occurred on September 19, 2026, at Umuneke in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State.
The prosecution alleged that Okon poured hot water on the teenager’s head and body, resulting in injuries described in the charge as grievous harm.
The offence was brought under Section 355 of the Criminal Code, Cap. C38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, as applicable in Imo State.
During the proceedings, the prosecution counsel, Sampson Obodo, tendered photographs showing the injuries allegedly sustained by the girl.
Also admitted as exhibits were statements made to the police by both the accused and the victim, as well as a statement from the Stand For Humanity Foundation, which had petitioned the police over the alleged abuse.
Following the guilty plea and conviction, the court invited Okon to plead for leniency before sentence was imposed.
Okon pleaded for mercy, while her counsel, Innocent Onyekwere, urged the court to temper justice with mercy.
The convict was reportedly arrested following a petition submitted by the Stand For Humanity Foundation, which said it took up the matter to ensure that the alleged abuse was subjected to legal scrutiny.
Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, the President of the foundation, Chidiebube Okeoma, said the case was intended to demonstrate that acts of violence against children could attract legal consequences.
Okeoma, a journalist and child-rights advocate, said the conviction should reinforce public awareness that child abuse is punishable under Nigerian law.
He said the foundation would sustain its advocacy against violence and abuse involving children across Imo State.
According to him, the organisation had conducted awareness campaigns against child abuse in Owerri on July 4 and September 12, 2026.
He said the campaigns involved the Imo State Police Command, the Owerri branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, the state chapter of the Nigeria Medical Association, Nollywood actors and rights activists.
The foundation’s intervention in the case followed the alleged assault of the teenager, with the matter subsequently becoming the subject of police investigation and court proceedings.
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