By Izunna Okafor, Awka
A single mother of four, Uloaku Confidence Amarachukwu, has cried out for justice and public support, following a brutal attack by a male customer who assaulted her with a ringed punch to the eye after she asked him to pay for the food he ate at her shop in Kenyatta Market, Enugu.
The violent incident, she alarmed, has now left her at risk of total blindness in one eye.
Recounting her ordeal in a social media post, Amarachukwu, who hails from Nnewi, Anambra State, said the incident occurred on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at the Market, where she manages her small food vending business alongside her curtain sales to make ends meet.
According to her, the man, who owns a foam shop within the same market, visited her food stand alongside a friend in the early hours of that day and ate without paying immediately. She said later that same day, around 5:22pm, she went to his shop to politely ask for her money, as she had closed for the day without making much sales due to the heavy rainfall.
Explaining further, she said the man initially claimed he didn’t have cash and offered to make a bank transfer to her.
“He said he didn’t have cash and offered to make a bank transfer,” she recalled, adding that she, however, explained to him that she had been having issues with her bank, as four previous transfers made to her account by some people had not reflected.
She said the man then asked her to go get a POS agent, which she obliged and came back with a POS operator, but on arriving at the man’s shop twice, he was nowhere to be found anymore. She said when she eventually saw him after waiting for some while at the shop, she explained to him that the POS agent had come and gone, but the man asked her again to go back again and get the account details of the POS operator.
“I went and got the POS account. The POS agent said the person must add the transaction charge. When I returned and told him, he refused, saying he would not pay any extra charge. I pleaded with him because I hadn’t made much sales that day due to the rain, but he refused, ignored her and started packing up to close for the day,” she narrated.
She further explained that as she stood in front of his shop asking for her money and reminding him she still had house chores to do after the long day, the man suddenly gave her a heavy blow in the left eye with a ring on his finger.
“It came from nowhere. A very heavy blow to my eye. He was wearing a big ring,” she said.
“People gathered and asked why he did that. He said I was mad to stand in front of his shop and threatened that he would kill me if I didn’t leave his shop, and that nothing would happen. He said I should do my worst and said highest I would go and call police. Even with my eye bleeding, he kept threatening me.”
Miss Amarachukwu said she thereafter reported the matter at the nearest police station, where she was issued a medical report and began treatment. However, she lamented that the man has not been arrested and continues to walk freely, while her eyesight continues to deteriorate.
“I am completely losing my left eye despite all the treatment. The man who did this is still walking freely like nothing happened. He even told me to do my worst,” she said.
She expressed worry over how the attack has grounded her daily business, which remains her only means of fending for her four daughters as a single mother.
“I wake up every day by 3am to cook food for sale. After all that stress, someone eats my food and ends up blinding me,” she cried. “I have not been going to the market since this happened. How will I hustle with one eye? My children depend on me.”
Decrying the injustice, she wondered if her being a woman, or a single mother, was the reason for the brutality and the perceived neglect by authorities.
“Is it a crime to be a woman, especially a single mom, in this country?” she asked. “This man knew he could do what he did and go free because I don’t have anybody.”
While she said she never intended to take the matter public, she said that her worsening condition and lack of response from authorities have compelled her to speak out, in hope of justice and help.
“I didn’t insult him, I didn’t raise my voice or touch him. I was only asking for my money. That was my offense,” she concluded.
The incident has triggered reactions and outrage from social media users, with many calling on the police and relevant authorities to quickly arrest the perpetrator and ensure justice is served, warning that such act and neglect are the things that encourage jungle justice. Some social media users, in the comment section, also threatened to intervene for the woman and handle the matter in ‘their own way’ if the authorities fails to act before Thursday (one week after the incident).
