Reverend Dachomo demands justice for teenage girl amputated after allegedly refusing Islamist marriage

Crime Diary

ABUJA, Nigeria (NPA) — Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, Regional Leader of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), has called for justice after a teenage girl’s hand was amputated in Northern Nigeria because her family allegedly refused to consent to an Islamist marriage. Dachomo, who has long been a symbol of Christian persecution in the region, described the ordeal as a moment when “the heart can no longer carry the weight of silence.”

In a statement on Sunday, the cleric said the attack came “like a storm, unannounced, without mercy, and her hand was cut off.”

“Left in pain, left in tears, left in a darkness no words can fully describe. What kind of world are we becoming? What kind of hearts can look at a child and choose cruelty? What kind of evil answers faith with blood and suffering,” he lamented.

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Sharing the picture of the assaulted girl, Dachomo said her story is “a cry from the soul of the nation. A cry that something is deeply broken. A cry that we cannot ignore.”

“Imagine waking up to a life forever changed because of a decision she did not even make. The pain is not just in her body, it is in her spirit, in her future, in every dream she once held. This is beyond cruel. This is beyond evil,” he added.

The cleric urged Nigerians not to lose their humanity despite the darkness. “We must not allow hate to consume us, but we must also refuse to be silent because silence in the face of such pain is another kind of injustice,” he said.

Expressing solidarity with the victim, Dachomo promised she would not be forgotten despite the life-altering attack by religious fanatics. “Though your hand was taken, your dignity remains, your strength remains, your life still has meaning beyond this pain. Your story will speak louder than the cruelty done to you.”

He called on Nigerians to let the girl’s suffering awaken a collective demand for justice and protection. “May her tears not fall in vain. May her pain awaken a nation. May justice rise where evil has tried to stand. And may we never again allow a child to suffer such horror in silence,” Dachomo concluded.