A Nigerian doctor living in the United Kingdom is said to have given the authorities custody of his 16-year-old son after beating him with a belt.
In an Instagram video, child rights campaigner Pep Iredia stated that the doctor was hauled to court for assaulting his child for “watching an inappropriate video.”
Iredia stated that the event was reported to the police, who “came that night and took the boy away” by the boy’s friends who were visiting him.
She went on to say that the youngster accused his father of assaulting him because of his employment choice.
“Two friends of a Nigerian doctor’s son two months ago came over to the doctor’s residence to sleep over and study in preparation for their General Certificate of Secondary Education examination,” she said in the video.
“At 3 am in the night, the doctor tip-toed into the boy’s room and caught them watching an improper video, the father got angry with his son and beat him with a belt in front of his friends.
“The two friends ran out of the scene to call the police and they came over and took the boy away. The case was later held in court and during the session, the friends said that they heard the father saying that ‘Is this how you want to become a doctor’ while beating his son?
“The boy also said that his father was always beating him to study the subject that he does not want. His father want him to study medicine at the university.
“The court later ruled that the doctor’s 16-year-old son be taken into custody care and can no longer go back to his father’s house.”
According to section 58 Children Act 2004 in the UK, it is unlawful for a parent to smack their child, except where this amounts to “reasonable punishment”.
Whether a “smack” amounts to reasonable punishment will depend on the circumstances of each case, taking into consideration factors like the age of the child and the nature of the smack.
