A 35-year-old man, Ola Emmanuel, has been sentenced to 24-hour community service for battering his six-year-old son over food.
Emmanuel was arraigned before the Osun State Family Court by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The court, in its judgement, held that the victim be kept in protective custody at the state children’s home.
Giving insight into the matter in a statement in Osogbo on Wednesday, the NSCDC spokesperson for the state command, Olabisi Atanda, said Emmanuel, a divorcé, was arrested after a neighbour reported the incident.
According to her, during investigation, it was revealed that the victim was not in school due to the inability of his father to pay his fees.
The statement said, “Emmanuel said he prepared beans, served the boy his portion and kept the remaining for himself, which he intended to eat when he returned from work.
“But on getting home, he discovered that his son had finished the food. The act infuriated the man, which made him to beat the boy mercilessly with a cable. The inhuman treatment led to injuries on the boy’s body.
“A concerned neighbour raised the alarm and contacted the Area Commander, Assistant Commandant of Corps Oyetunji Olusegun to report the incident.
The case was subsequently transferred to the state headquarters for further investigation and prosecution.
“According to some members of the community in Osogbo, the victim had been subjected to regular torture and abuse by his father. They pointed to the scars and wounds sustained by the boy as evidence of torture by the father.”
But defending his action, Emmanuel said his son was greedy and used to take things that did not belong to him, hence his decision to punish him.
