Court releases child hawker to NGO

By Onozure Dania

Lagos – A 12 year  old boy, who was found hawking oranges at night, and refused to go home for fear that he would be beaten if he failed to sell all the oranges given to him, has been released to a Non-Governmental Organisation NGO, Eagles Wings Development Centre, EWDC, by a Lagos Magistrates’ Court sitting at Surulere.

The founder of the NGO, Mrs Olubunmi Oloyede, whose organisation stands for the protection of the girl child against rape and child molestation, reported the case to the Bode Thomas Police Station, which arrested the aunty of the boy, Mrs Florence James and charged her to court for the offence.

The boy who was in court said on the day of the incident, he didn’t get home until 12 am, as there was no longer vehicle on the road to take him home.  The boy had told Oloyede that after she purchased about N800 worth of oranges from him, and asked him to go home, it was too late, he couldn’t get a vehicle home, and as a result he walked home.

However the police on Friday arraigned Mrs Florence James, a 48 year old trader on a one count charge, bordering on unlawful exploitation and abuse of child right.

The prosecutor Sergeant Cecilia Onojah, told the court that the incident occurred on March 2, 2018, at about 9pm, at Shitta area of Lagos state.

She said that the defendant “Unlawfully exploited the 12 year old boy, (names withheld) by giving him oranges to hawk and thereby abused the right of the child.”

According to her the offence committed was contrary to section 25 of the child rights law 2015, of Lagos state.

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by Nwafor Polycarp via Vanguard News