Mother of 2-month old baby whose hand was amputated after assault by father narrates ordeal

Favour Chikwe, mother of the two-month old baby boy whose right hand was amputated in Imo State after he was assaulted by his father, has narrated how her ordeal.

The 20-year-old lady explained that the child’s father, Confidence Amatobi, impeded her ability to obtain immediate medical care for her baby.

WITHIN NIGERIA recalls that Amatobi assaulted little Miracle with a plastic hanger and broke the baby’s arm for disturbing his sleep.

The incident led to the amputation of the fractured arm at the Pediatrics ward of the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Owerri.

The culprit, a native of Amurie in Isu LGA of Imo State, who has since gone into hiding, has been declared wanted by law enforcement agencies.

Speaking to BBC News Pidgin, Favour, who hails from Idemili Community, Anambra State, said she has known the father of her child for four years.

Favour said they were both living together before she went back to her aunt’s house in Anambra state where she eventually gave birth.

According to the young mother, Amatobi came to see her at aunt’s house and took her and their baby back to Imo state.

As earlier reported, Favour disclosed that she had left Miracle with his father on Friday, October 7, 2022, to use the convenience, when the incident occurred.

She recalled that she overheard her baby crying uncontrollably and had to rush back to know the cause of his cry only for her to discover that the right hand was swollen and bone broken from the beating he received from his father.

Amatobi confessed that the baby was disturbing him with his cry while he was sleeping and he had to try to stop him by battering him with a plastic hanger.

“Upon noticing that he has broken the baby’s hand, he used sticks and rubber bands to bind the broken bones together.

“When l confronted him about what he did, he locked us in the room, to prevent me from telling people about his wicked deed or seek for help. He also collected my phone from me, so that I will not call the neighbours,” she stated.

She narrated how she managed to take the baby to hospitals in the community, which refused to treat the baby, before she took him to Federal Medical Centre Owerri, where the amputation was done.