The Stance of Anambra Lawmakers On Chiziterem’s Abuse

AWKA — The Anambra State House of Assembly has lost patience. And rightly so. The Stance of Anambra Lawmakers On Chiziterem’s Abuse is not to be disputed!

Lawmakers on Thursday June 18, 2026 demanded the immediate prosecution of Mrs. Chioma Chukwunyere and the arrest of her husband over what they called the “gruesome abuse” of 10-year-old Chiziterem. The case has flooded social media with anger, tears, and one question: how did we get here?

The resolution came after a motion of urgent public importance moved by Honourable Ifeoma Azikiwe, member representing Onitsha North Constituency One. Her message to Governor Chukwuma Soludo was direct: activate the Ministry of Women and Social Development and all relevant agencies. Investigate. Prosecute. No delays. No cover-ups.

Presenting the motion during plenary, Hon. Azikiwe told a story Anambra has heard too many times. In January, Chiziterem’s father allegedly sent him to live with a family from their village. The promise was familiar: “We’ll care for him. We’ll put him in school.” The reality, according to the lawmaker, was the opposite.
She described the abuse as one of the most horrifying cases of child cruelty ever witnessed in the State. The details circulating online are too graphic to repeat here, but the pattern is painfully known: a child sent for “help,” a child kept in silence, a child denied school, food, and safety.

Why the Assembly is moving fast
This isn’t just about one boy. It’s about every “Chiziterem” in Anambra sent to relatives with hope and returned with scars. The Assembly’s resolution leans heavily on the Anambra Child Rights Law, 2004. Under that law:

1. A child is anyone under 18. No debate.

2. Assault, torture, denial of education = criminal offenses.

3. Parents/guardians who aid or abet abuse are equally liable.

That’s why lawmakers want both Mrs. Chukwunyere AND her husband arrested. The law doesn’t care who held the cane. It cares who failed to protect.

The public anger is the point
Social media outrage is not noise. It’s pressure. It’s citizens telling government: we are watching. We will not normalize this.

Ministry of Women’s Affairs, has repeatedly warned that Anambra will no longer treat child abuse as “family matter.” The Assembly’s resolution backs that stance with legislative weight. When the House speaks, the executive must act.

SylviaTake:

A child is not collateral damage  
Let’s be blunt: Chiziterem was not sent to Awka or Onitsha to be “broken.” He was sent to be built. School, shelter, love. That was the agreement.

But somewhere between village and city, the agreement died. And a 10-year-old paid with his childhood.

Anambra has one of the strongest Child Rights Laws in the country. The problem has never been the law. The problem is enforcement and silence. Neighbors see it. Relatives know it. But many keep quiet because “na family matter.”

This Assembly resolution says the silence ends now. Prosecution is not wickedness. It is protection. It tells every madam, uncle, and aunty: if you cannot care for another woman’s child under your roof, the law will care for you in prison.

To Chiziterem’s father: sending a child away is not parenting. Parenting is checking. Parenting is asking questions. Parenting is pulling your child back the moment you hear “something is wrong.”

To every Anambra home: a child is not collateral damage for poverty, anger, or tradition. If you take a child in, you take responsibility in. Full responsibility.

Governor Soludo must now turn this legislative demand into action. Speedy investigation. Speedy prosecution. And visible justice. Because justice delayed for a 10-year-old is justice denied.

Chiziterem deserves his childhood back. Anambra deserves to know that the Child Rights Law has teeth.

Links

https://punchng.com

https://www.thisday.com.ng

https://vanguardngr.com

https://saharareporters.com