Delta teenager locked inside cage for visiting female classmate

Samuel Onyeme, 17, was reportedly beaten and imprisoned in a dog cage on Sunday for going to see Miss Anastasia Celestine, a female classmate.

According to a PUNCH Metro, the event occurred at approximately 6 p.m. when Onyeme went to visit his female classmate at her home.

On Monday, Mrs. Onyeme, the victim’s mother, told our correspondent that she had a better experience at Mr. Celestine’s place.

She said, “My son, Samuel, a 17-year-old Senior Secondary student of Redeemers International High School, Asaba, Delta State, on Sunday, visited his classmate, Anastasia Celestine, at her residence after she invited him.

“My son said they were having a discussion outside the house of Mr Celestine when he was brutally assaulted by her father and his two sons.

“They attacked him on the street, dragged him into their compound, and inflicted severe physical injuries on him. You see his head, he said they used wooden planks and locked him inside a dog cage.

“During the assault, they confiscated his mobile phone and called me (mother) deceiving me into coming to the scene. Upon my arrival, I was deprived of seeing him for two hours.”

She said her daughter, Jessica, who was outside attempting to seek help, was also subjected to assault by members of the Celestine family when she tried to re-enter the compound.

“The situation escalated when Ben, the other of my sons, who is the elder brother to Samuel, contacted a family friend, who then reached out to a human rights organisation before they mobilised police, officers were mobilised to rescue Samuel from the dog cage around 10:00 pm that night.”

Mr. Victor Ojei, a human rights activist who reported the event to the Delta State Police Command on Tuesday, went on to say that he activated the police prior to Samuel being freed from the dog cage and called the act cruel and horrific.

In a petition to the Commissioner of Police at Delta State Police Command, Ojei called for an immediate investigation and prosecution of Mr. Celestine and his sons for attempted murder, assault, unlawful detention, and kidnapping in accordance with the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Laws and Nigerian Criminal Law.

Justice was demanded in the petition, which was copied to the State Coordinator of the National Human Rights Commission in Asaba, Delta State, and the Attorney General of the Ministry of Justice in Asaba, Delta State.

“One Onyeme Ben contacted a family friend, who then reached out to our organisation. Following our report to the Delta State Police, officers were mobilised, and Master Onyeme Samuel was rescued from the dog cage around 10:00 pm that night.

“Based on the above facts, Mr Celestine and his sons have committed criminal offences which include unlawful detention of Mrs. Onyeme Onome for two hours against her will, and the forcible confinement of Master Onyeme Samuel in a dog cage from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm.which contravenes Section 364 of the Criminal Code Act.

“The brutal assault on Master Onyeme Samuel using wooden planks, resulting in multiple injuries and psychological trauma, is a violation of Section 355 of the Criminal Code Act.

“Attempted murder; threats to pour fuel and set Master Onyeme Samuel ablaze amount to attempted murder under Section 320 of the Criminal Code Act.”

It was discovered that Samuel, the victim, is presently undergoing therapy at the Asaba Specialist Hospital due to the psychological and bodily harm he sustained during the incident.

When contacted, SP Bright Edafe, the state’s police public relations officer, stated that he had not yet received the incident report at the time this report was filled up.