Residents rescue maltreated underage house-help seen eating from a dustbin

A 12-year-old house help, identified only as Esther, has been rescued from the grip of her master, Mrs Makinde, who procured her for N15,000 and allegedly maltreated her in the Akowonjo area of Lagos State.

According to the NGO, Initiative for the Downtrodden, Makinde was alleged to have paid N15,000 to obtain the girl from a friend and allegedly started maltreating her by depriving her of food and other necessities.

The NGO President, Peacemaker Onoja, told SaharaReporters that his organisation received a distress call on Thursday, from residents of the area in Egbeda to come to the rescue of the girl who was seen eating from the dustbin and bathing in the drainage.

“The woman told us she got the girl from a friend of hers, Iya Tutu. Instead of making efforts to connect the woman with us, she was busy begging and trying to see how the matter will die down. She told us she paid N15,000 to get the girl, and that she doesn’t know the girl’s origin.

She said they brought the girl from somewhere in Ogun State and she had never met the parents of the girl. She doesn’t even know the surname of the girl,” he said.

However, the victim has been rushed to the hospital for treatment while Mrs. Makinde denies ever maltreating her, stating the victim was sick.