How 10-Year-Old Boy Was Roasted For Stealing Rice

By Chuks Ekpeneru

The Human Rights Defenders has waded into the alleged roasting of a 10 year old boy, Master Ifeanyi Umoke, over allegation of stealing of a small measure of uncooked rice in a market in Ebonyi State.

Ifeanyi who hails from Inikiri Bernard village in Effium community, Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State, was said to have lost his mother and is currently living with his father who is bedridden with a chronic mental illness.

News Express reports that Ifeanyi has been living with his sick father while help has not come from their relations.

After he allegedly stole the rice, he was said to have been tied up by two men (names withheld) of the same village and thrown into a burning fire in a refuse dump at the market – abandoned to groan to death.

The intervention of sympathizers saved him as they rushed him to AMURT Hospital, Effium, but due to the severity of the damages, he was rejected.

However, Ifeanyi was later taken to Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (AE-FETHA2) through the efforts of sympathisers and is currently battling for life.

The men who perpetuated the act confessed that Ifeanyi is in the habit of stealing.

“Ifeanyi has been in the habit of stealing cassava, yam and others. So, this time, we caught him stealing rice we decided to teach him a lesson so that he will not come back to steal food again.

“It was not our intention to burn his whole body. We only tied him up and after beating him, we tried to roast his toes in the fire, but because he was struggling, he fell into the fire and got burnt beyond our expectation

Mr Samson Nweke, of the Human Rights Defenders said: “We got a call from one George Etamesor of the HRCRC over the grave abuse on the poor child.

“This little boy is 10 years old. According to our feeders, his mother is no more and the father, bedridden with a chronic mental illness.

“Because he was caught trying to steal some rice in their village market, he was tied up and thrown into burning fire in a refuse dump in the market.”

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