Discipline or abuse? Anambra nurse admits to using hot iron on househelp

Amarachukwu Happiness Nzekwe, a 38-year-old nurse from Ezinifite in Anambra State, has confessed to using a hot-pressing iron to scald the back of her 13-year-old househelp.

Nzekwe admitted to the act, claiming it was a disciplinary measure after the boy allegedly stole her money.

She revealed that she heated the iron on a stove and applied it to the child’s back when he denied the theft. The confession came after Nzekwe was arrested by officials from the Anambra State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, led by Commissioner Ify Obinabo.

She told the commissioner that: “All the suffering I have been going through was because of this boy. I had surgery and came back home to discover that my money was missing. I didn’t plug the iron to electric; I just placed it on a stove to discipline him.”

Further investigation by ministry officials revealed that the victim was Nzekwe’s own nephew, who was not only subjected to physical abuse but also regularly locked up at home without food.

Commissioner Ify Obinabo condemned Nzekwe’s actions, stating that such cruel behaviour would not be tolerated in Anambra State under Governor Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s administration.

Nzekwe was subsequently handed over to the police for further investigation and prosecution, ensuring that she would face justice for her actions.