Reports say a ten-year-old boy, Master Ifeanyi Umoke, from Inikiri Bernard village in Effium community, Ohaukwu Local Government of Ebonyi State, was roasted alive over alleged stealing of a small measure of uncooked rice at Inikiri market.
The victim, who miraculously survived the roasting, was said to have lost his mother and is currently living with his father who is bedridden with a chronic mental illness.
It was gathered that Ifeanyi’s relations were not forthcoming assisting him, so he has since been living in hunger, together with his bedridden father.
The report said the victim’s hands and legs were 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.
Speaking to journalists on Friday in Abakaliki, the state capital, the Chairman, Human Rights Defenders, Mr Samson Nweke, said they got a call from one George Etamesor of the HRCRC over the grave abuse on the poor child.
It was however, learnt that Ifeanyi cheated death following the intervention of sympathizers who took him out of the fire and rushed him to AMURT Hospital, Effium, but was rejected due to the severity of the damages.
According to the report, Ifeanyi was later taken to Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, (AE-FETHA2) through the efforts of sympathisers and is currently battling for life.
When contacted, the two men who roasted Ifeanyi defended their action, saying: “Ifeanyi has been in the habit of stealing cassava, yam and other items, so this time, they caught him stealing and decided to teach him a lesson so that he will not come back to steal food again.
They said it was not their intention to burn his whole body, but after beating him, tried to roast his toes in the fire, but because he was struggling, he fell into the fire and got burnt beyond their expectation.
Ebonyi Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Loveth Odah, did not immediately respond to enquiries on the shocking incident.
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