Posted by By Chioma Okezie-Okeh on
Mercy Monday, 8, is a sorry sight. She has every sign of a child abused, harassed, maltreated and criminally assaulted. But she still attends to her chores as house help of a certain woman she called 疎untie' . The woman, auntie, is Elizabeth Ekpo.
Mercy Monday, 8, is a sorry sight. She has every sign of a child abused, harassed, maltreated and criminally assaulted. But she still attends to her chores as house help of a certain woman she called 疎untie' . The woman, auntie, is Elizabeth Ekpo.
Repeatedly, she scratched an open sore on her chin, which has become a feast for flies till she was halted by a woman who knew her in the area. Alarmed at her situation, the woman asked her why she was like that with rashes all over her body.
Innocently she told her what happened and she brought her to the police station before taking her to the hospital. Elizabeth was arrested and the case is being investigated by the Human Rights department at the Ikotun Egbe police station in Alimosho council of Lagos.
Terribly abused
According to the investigation, it was revealed that Mercy who had been with her madam for four years had been a victim of child abuse as Mrs. Ekpo repeatedly forced her to run errands while her kids who are older than Mercy remain at home, look clean and go to school. As Elizabethtakes good care of her children, Mercy who was neither born or parents nor is fit to be accorded human treatment recives no mercy from madam. Torture, from every sign on her is a usual dosage for Mercy.
Pastor taught us to love
Mother of four, Elizabeth told Saturday Sun that the devil was actually waiting for her to come back in-order to use her. According to her the pastor of their church had thought them the need to love. She had actually made up her mind to show to all especially Mercy whom she had maltreating for long. Unfortunately when she stepped into her house at No. 35 Abiola Adeyemi Street Ikotun, Lagos, she met her kitchen scattered. At that point, she forgot the love her pastor emphasised and started screaming: "Mercy ate and scattered food on the floor. I had warned her severally. I called to caution her but she was not at home. When she finally came back, she said that she had gone on an errand for a woman in their compound. I got annoyed and had to heat up the cooking spoon and smothered her face with it to teach her a lesson."
She is possessed
Weeping uncontrollable, Elizabeth said the problem of her life started when she brought in Mercy to live with her. She had gone home to Eket where her brother asked her to take her daughter to Lagos to help train her. Determined to help his brother, she took little Mercy down to Lagos. "In the beginning she was a good girl but suddenly she changed.
Suddenly things started dwindling, my business became so bad and there was a prophecy that she is the cause of my problem. I have taken her from church to church yet, there seems to be no solution. In fact, I am wonderful woman. I love people a lot, but ever since she came to stay with me, the spirit of hatred possessed me. My husband has lost his job and there is no money in the house, otherwise I would have sent her home long ago."
" She would do queer thing and would pretend that she does not know what she is doing. At 8 she is old enough to know what is wrong from right, but to get me annoyed she would commit one bad offence" . On why she refused to treat her wound, she said: " I told you that the devil possessed me that is why I forgot."
When Elizabeth's husband was confronted with the matter, he said that he had tried to change his wife's attitude towards Mercy but failed. " My wife is stone hearted, this is not the first time"
Mercy talks
Mercy how are you? I am fine; the nurse has been taking good care of me. Asked what happened to her face she said: " I finished eating so I forgot to sweep the floor. I was still planning to clean the floor when mama asked me to carry her bag for her. When I came back my aunty was already waiting for me. I begged her to forgive me but she insisted and trashed me. She asked me to get her the cooking spoon, which I did. She dipped it in boiling water before using it to slap my face. Whatever that goes wrong in the house she would blame me. There was a time my brother (referring to Elizabeth's son) poured soup on the floor, she saw her but she immediately started beating me. This is small but thank God that I am no longer going back to that house," she smiled.