The Enugu State government has undertaken the therapy and rehabilitation of 13-year-old Ukamaka Okonkwo, who was recently rescued from the dungeon of an alleged kidnapper and ritualist, Obi Levi Obieze, at Ndiagu Umumba in Ezeagu Local Council.

The Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs, and Social Development, Mrs Ngozi Enih, announced that Governor Peter Mbah approved the girl’s rehabilitation following the trauma she endured during her captivity.

Speaking to the traumatised girl’s parents, Enih revealed that the governor also awarded Ukamaka a scholarship covering her education from her current class to university.

“We travelled to Ndiagu Umumba, Ezeagu Local Council, today at the governor’s request to meet with the parents of Ukamaka and to bring her to Enugu, where she will undergo the necessary therapy and be fully rehabilitated. You can imagine the level of trauma this young girl must have experienced,” Enih said.

“The government wants to ensure she fully recovers in the shortest possible time. Therefore, the Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development will provide therapies and counselling to her before reintegrating her into society.

“The governor has also generously awarded her a scholarship to support her education through university. This is a way of reassuring her and her parents that they are not alone and to bring smiles to their faces. The government wants to ensure that she fulfils her destiny because she is a destiny child,” Enih added.

The commissioner also disclosed that a government delegation visited Mr Theophilus Ezih and Mrs Chinenye Ezih, parents of the late Chimaobi Ezih, at Agba Umana in Ezeagu Local Council to express condolences on their loss. “We share their pains,” Enih said.

On the identity of the pregnant woman also found dead in the Ndiagu Umumba dungeon, the commissioner stated that efforts are ongoing to identify her and locate her relatives.

She assured the public that the government and security forces are committed to bringing all culprits to justice.

“This government has zero tolerance for crime. The government has already demolished the property linked to these heinous acts in accordance with the laws of Enugu State,” she said.

“The police and other security agencies are collaborating with the government to locate and apprehend those still at large to face justice. This is the only way to honour the spirits and souls of the deceased and to rid our society of such crimes,” she concluded.

The government’s delegation to the affected families also included the Deputy Chairman of Ezeagu Local Council, Mrs Nkiru Ugwuagu, and the Head of the Child Department at the Ministry of Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Clementina Ogbu.