A Chief Magistrate’s Court in Enugu East charged 47-year-old Anthony Onyeukwu over the death of his 11-year-old houseboy, Goodluck John.

Confirming the development, the Commissioner of Gender, Ngozi Enih, disclosed on Sunday that the move is part of the state’s ongoing efforts to combat child abuse.

According to the Commissioner, Onyeukwu’s arrest followed a tip-off from the ministry’s whistleblower channels, suggesting that John’s death resulted from abuse in the house he lived in.

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Further into the investigation, it was revealed that Onyeukwu was alleged to have buried John’s remains in Abia State without reporting the death to the authorities, claiming the boy died from an illness at the Park Lane Hospital in Enugu.

However, the hospital records contradicted this claim, showing no admission or deposition of the corpse.

Following the arrest, the Police Prosecutor, Inspector Calista Ifeanyi argued that Onyeukwu’s actions were punishable under Enugu State’s Revised Criminal Code.

The charge sheet marked: CME/631C/2024 read, “That you, Onyeukwu Anthony, ‘m’ on 15th day of October 2024, at about 20:30 hours at No. 4, Mike Onyeka Close, Loma Linda Extension, Maryland, Enugu, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did unlawfully kill one Goodluck John ‘m’ aged 11 years and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 274 (1) of the Criminal Code, CAP 30, Vol. II, Revised Laws of Enugu State of Nigeria, 2004.”