12-year-old girl, Miss Mercy Asuquo Frank, has appealed to the Akwa Ibom State Government and Nigerians to come to her aid following an acid attack on her body by her mother.
The distraught Mercy was sighted yesterday at the Children Ward of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH) during a visit by The Nation to the premises, sitting alone begging passersby for money to eat.
The 12-year-old primary pupil of Atabong Primary School in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, told The Nation that she was accused of being a witch by one pastor, a situation that made her mother to bath her with acid solution.
After the acid attack which affected her breasts, mouth and other parts of her body, the little Mercy said her mother dumped her on the road side in Oron and took to her heels.
"I am the second child to my parents in the family of four children. My mother poured acid solution on my body. That is why my mouth and my body are like this".
"One of our neighbours told my mother that I am a witch, but I told her that I am not a witch. She took me to Apostolic Church in Atabong, Oron and the Pastor told her that I am a witch".
The Pastor prayed and told my mother that I am a witch then we went back home after the prayer. "Later at midnight, my mother took me to a deep forest and poured acid solution on me and carried me and dropped me by the roadside and left that midnight".
According to Mercy, the security agents brought her to the hospital after seeing her in pain crying by the roadside.
Efforts by The Nation to get her mother's reaction to the allegation did not yield any result.
