By Danjuma Michael, Katsina
Save the Children International (SCI) has facilitated the rescue of a 10-year-old girl who was allegedly subjected to severe physical, emotional, and psychological abuse for seven years by her caregiver in Rigasa, Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The case came to light during a three-day workshop and community project tour organised by SCI for selected journalists from Katsina and Adamawa states, held in Kaduna over the weekend.
According to reports, the victim was handed over to her caregiver, identified as Fatima Mamud, when she was just three years old. Over the years, she reportedly endured beatings, starvation, and persistent maltreatment.
Originally from Wuna Zhide community in Agaei Local Government Area of Niger State, the young girl eventually fled her caregiver’s home after another episode of abuse and hunger, before being discovered wandering the streets of Ungwan Makama, Rigasa.
She was found by an SCI team conducting a routine child protection monitoring exercise under the organisation’s Education Cannot Wait (ECW) campaign.
An SCI case worker, Zainab Abdulkarim, told journalists that the girl “fled her caregiver’s home after enduring yet another round of beating and hunger,” adding that she was later taken into protective custody by the community head (Mai Ungwa).
Confirming the incident, the Mai Ungwan Hayin Torotoro, Ungwan Makama, Lawal Abdul, described the case as disturbing but not isolated.
“We have seen several similar cases in this community. When this particular girl was brought to me, she insisted she did not want to return to her caregiver. I immediately requested that her biological father come personally to take her home,” he said.
Abdul commended the SCI team for their consistent interventions in rescuing and reuniting children who suffer abuse or neglect, noting that such efforts have helped restore many broken families in the area.
The traditional leader also urged parents and neighbours to be more vigilant and to promptly report any suspected cases of child abuse or neglect to the appropriate authorities.
Speaking on the reunion, the girl’s father, Danladi Usman, expressed gratitude to SCI for rescuing his daughter and reuniting her with the family.
“I thought I was helping my daughter by sending her to the city. I never imagined she was going through such suffering. I thank Save the Children and the ECW campaign for saving her life and bringing her back to me,” he said.
Save the Children International continues to advocate stronger community response mechanisms and awareness to protect vulnerable children from violence, exploitation, and neglect across Nigeria.