Public anger continues to mount across Nigeria following revelations that 13-year-old Favour Nuhu may lose vision in her right eye after being brutally whipped by her guardian, identified as Mrs. Joyce Onyinye Obioma, with a laptop charger cord. The incident, which occurred in Imo State, has sparked widespread condemnation and urgent calls for justice and child protection reforms.
Human rights group Stand For Humanity Foundation took up the case after rescuing the victim from her guardian’s home. On Monday, June 24, 2025, the foundation took Favour to Camela Eye Clinic in Owerri for a medical evaluation. Optometrists at the clinic confirmed severe trauma to the child’s eye, warning that the damage was beyond optical treatment and would require surgical intervention.
Doctors noted that pressure in the affected eye had risen to 31mmHg—well above the safe limit of 25—indicating the onset of glaucoma. They also revealed a large abscess growing in the injured eye, which has already developed into a cataract. “Only surgery can restore partial vision to the eye,” the clinic’s referral report stated. The procedure has been scheduled for next week.
Stand For Humanity Foundation commended the Imo State Government and the Executive Secretary of the Imo State Health Insurance Agency for taking full responsibility for the cost of Favour’s surgery. The foundation has pledged to provide additional welfare support and legal action to ensure the girl receives both justice and long-term care.
The organization’s legal department has been activated to pursue criminal charges against Mrs. Obioma, who is currently under police investigation. “This cruelty will not go unpunished,” the group said. “We must send a clear message that child battering and dehumanization are unacceptable in any society.”
Favour, said to be the only child of her parents, had been under Mrs. Obioma’s care before the assault. Child rights advocates are now calling for urgent reforms to regulate guardianship arrangements and ensure psychological assessments of foster caregivers. “If you can’t manage a child, return them to their parents. Violence is never an option,” the foundation warned.
As Nigerians continue to express shock and demand accountability, the case has become a flashpoint in the national conversation around domestic child abuse. Legal experts, health professionals, and activists are urging lawmakers to treat this as a landmark case in the battle to end violence against children in homes and foster care systems.
