Custodial dad beats 5-year-old daughter to death for contacting "estranged" mother (Warri, Nigeria)

Though this story is from Nigeria, there are eerie parallels to similar cases in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and elsewhere. Why did dad BECKLIN SUNNY OKORO have custody of his 5-year-old daughter, especially when the mom reports that he has a history of child abuse (and probably domestic violence against the mother, though that's not discussed here)? No answer given, of course. Notice the abuser control-freak reaction to this poor little girl trying to seek out her mother: she's beaten to death. So very typical of the kind of violent father who insists on custody (full dictatorial control).

http://www.momentng.com/en/news/6375/wife-calls-for-justice-as-hubby-flogged-child-to-death.html

Wife calls for justice as hubby flogged child to death
A 34- year- old ambulance driver, Mr. Becklin Sunny Okoro, has allegedly flogged his five year- old- daughter to death in the oil-rich city of Warri.

Posted at 04/02/2012 08:13 AM | Updated at 04/02/2012 08:13 AM

By Ben Dunno, Warri

A 34- year- old ambulance driver, Mr. Becklin Sunny Okoro, has allegedly flogged his five year- old- daughter to death in the oil-rich city of Warri.

Though he is said to be on the run, a source close to the police in Warri, Delta State, told our correspondent that he can run, but cannot hide for too long as they must surely fish him out.

And the offence of the five year- old Bethel, according to investigation by our correspondent, was that the deceased dared her father by visiting her estranged mother at 22, Numa Mejeyi Street, Iyara in the oil-rich city.

Our findings also revealed that, Bethel, a KG 3 pupil of Holy Cross Schools, Warri on closing from school Thursday, January 26, 2012, instead of going home to her father, escaped to her mother’s place, but this was to cost the innocent child who longed to see her mother her life the next day.

It was further learnt that her father got infuriated that little Bethel did not come to him after school and when he eventually set his eyes on her, he boiled over with rage and taught her a deadly lesson.

Now, her lifeless body is in the mortuary.

The father of the deceased, it was gathered allegedly flogged her to a point of death and all efforts made by neighbours to rescue Bethel fell on deaf ears.

But somehow, Bethel, according to our source, was taken to the Warri Central Hospital half dead and on Friday, January 27, 2012, little Bethel took her last breath.

Her father, it was alleged, bundled her lifeless body and dumped it in the mortuary and disappeared. He has since not been seen.

At the mortuary on Tuesday, January 31, our correspondent noticed several marks of cane on the lifeless body of Bethel.

The Divisional Police Officer of the ‘A’ Division Police Station, Warri, CSP Austin Chukwuma, was not on seat when our correspondent checked on him over the incident on Tuesday, January 31.

But a reliable police source in the station confirmed the death of little Bethel in the hands of her own father.

The mother of the deceased, 25- year- old, Miss Esther Uremure, claimed on Tuesday that the father of her daughter flogged her to death and cried out for justice.

She said; ‘The father of my child killed her. He flogged her to death because she visited me in my place here (No. 22, Numa Mejeyi Street, Iyara, Warri) on Thursday, January 26 after she closed from school.

She visited me in the house and the father got angry because of that. But I was not even at home the day (Thursday, January 26,)’.

According to her, ‘I am crying for justice; he should be arrested and let him rot in jail.

I really want him behind bars because this is not the first time he has been doing this.


If he is not in jail, I will not know peace with my remaining child and I want him to be arrested and sent to the prison because he has caused me a lot’.