A 24-year-old housewife, Jumoke Akinsanmi, who allegedly beat up her six-year-old son with a horsewhip n Thursday appeared in an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court.
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The police charged Akinsanmi, who lives at Isiaka Saliyu Street, Yakoko, Ojodu Berger, with two counts of child abuse and causing grievous hurt.
She, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Police Prosecutor, Benson Emuerhi, told the court that the defendant and her husband, now at large, committed the offense on Jan. 14 at 10. 30 p.m.
He said that the defendant physically abused her six-year-old son with a horsewhip because she was trying to “correct him” and caused him grievous injuries on his back.
The prosecution alleged that on Jan. 14, a distress call concerning the abuse of three children, aged six and four and a four-month-old of same parents, was received at the Child Protection Unit( CPU) at the Alausa Secretariat.
“On Jan. 15 the children were all rescued by CPU with the help of Child Protection Network (CPN) and the case was reported at the Ojodu Police Station and referred to the gender unit.
“There were visible evidence of physical abuse on the six-year-old boy, with the other two siblings looking malnourished but no visible evidence of physical abuse on them,” he said.
The offense, he said, contravened the provisions of sections 172 and 173 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
If convicted, she is liable to five years imprisonment.
The Chief Magistrate, Olufunke Sule-Amzat, admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N100, 000 with two sureties in like sum.
She adjourned the case until March 16.