In a disturbing case of abuse, the Anambra State Ministry of Women and Social Welfare confirmed on Tuesday the successful rescue of a 17-year-old girl from her stepfather, Sunday Ezeh. The victim had reportedly been subjected to a month-long ordeal during which she was bound and locked up by the accused.Commissioner Ify Obinabo of the Ministry relayed the details of the incident to journalists, revealing that the young girl, a stepdaughter of the suspect, hailed from the Nise community in the Awka South Local Government Area of the state. The ministry promptly responded to the reports received from concerned individuals within the community and collaborated with local vigilantes to effect the girl’s rescue. Subsequently, she was taken to Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital in Amaku, Awka, where she received medical assessment and treatment.According to Commissioner Obinabo, the victim sustained injuries throughout her body as a result of the abuse and required emergency surgery on her head. The procedure was successful, and she is presently recuperating in the pediatric ward of the teaching hospital.In light of the severity of the case, Commissioner Obinabo emphasized the state’s unequivocal stance against crimes and abuse targeting children. Offenders, she warned, would face the full force of the law. The matter has since been transferred to the Anambra State Police Command for further investigation.The victim herself provided a harrowing account of her experience, expressing bewilderment at her stepfather’s actions. She claimed to be unaware of her specific transgression but recounted how she was confined and deprived of food as a form of punishment. The abuse also included physical violence, as her stepfather struck her head with a bamboo plank, resulting in the head injury she sustained. Fortunately, witnesses intervened and came to her rescue.In response to the allegations, Sunday Ezeh, the accused stepfather, acknowledged disciplining the victim for disobedience and what he perceived as a desecration of his property with feces.As the investigation proceeds, concerned parties are hopeful that justice will be served in this distressing case of child abuse.