Police operatives have arrested a woman for allegedly torturing her female house-help to death at the Olodi-Apapa, Lagos. The suspect known as mama Christiana at Barrack Line, Suru Alaba, Olodi, Apapa, was alleged to have been beating the 16-year-old girl simply identified as Angel till she slumped and started gasping for breath.
Sympathizers were said to have compelled the suspect to rush the dying girl to a nearby hospital, but the young girl was not lucky as the doctor on duty confirmed her dead.
An eyewitness told CrimeWatch that it has been a habitual behaviour of mama Christiana to be beating the girl. “We have since been tired of the everyday beating of the late girl. We have been pleading with Mama Christiana to send the girl back to her parents, but she would not take our advise.
“On the fateful day, Mama Christiana started beating the girl and the girl was shouting and pleading that she was not feeling well. I later understood that the girl had not even taken her breakfast. All of a sudden, she slumped and we all joined hands in rushing her to the hospital but she later gave up the ghost as soon as we arrived at the hospital.”
A police source said someone made a distress call to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in-charge of Layeni Police Station, Mr. Chijioke Ndu, who detailed some detectives to arrest the woman, and she was promptly detained at the station.
When Crime Watch visited the hospital where the deceased was rushed to, a nurse who spoke on the condition of anonymity said “when the young girl was rushed to the hospital, a woman who claimed was the guardian to the girl lied to the doctor that the girl had convulsion. But the doctor was not convinced considering the age of the girl. A girl at her age would not suffer convulsion. Well, we all thought maybe as a lay person, she may be mistaking epilepsy for convulsion, but the girl was gasping for breath when they arrived the hospital.
“I cannot tell you whether the girl was beaten or not. All other information have been given to the police. Go to the police and they will brief you better.”
However, the medical director of the hospital, disclosed that two women rushed the girl to the hospital but all the efforts made by doctors on duty to save her were futile as she gave up the ghost.
When Crime Watch visited the scene of the crime, Prophet Kehinde Fadipe, a resident of the street said: “Yes, I believe the girl was tortured to death because, I can still recall that December last year, the suspect tied the deceased to a fan in her shop and beat her terribly. I was the person that rescued the girl from the woman. Many people pleaded with her but she would not listen until I intervened.
“On that fateful day, the woman was seen complaining that she sent the girl on an errand and she failed to return on time. She was seen dragging the girl on the floor. If she sent the girl on an errand, was it enough reason to torture her to death? “.
Another eyewitness, madam Kemi alleged that the suspect was too hard on the girl “She beat her for a very long time. I was expecting the girl to run away but she remained there pleading with the woman that she was losing strength. The woman was beating her till she fainted. I wonder why the suspect hated that girl. you won’t see her beat her daughter.”
However, the DPO, Ndu said the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti has taken over the investigation of the case.
TOO BAD
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