The Police in Lagos have arrested a woman, Mrs Nene Fortune Stephens, for allegedly beating to death her house maid.
The housemaid, Miss Joy Okom Adole, 19, from Igede Ukpa Ochodu in Oju local government area of Benue State, was said have been killed for demanding the payment of her salary.
It was learnt after torturing Joy to death, Mrs. Stephens, in an effort to establish an alibi to cover up the offence, quickly tied a rope around the girl’s neck and hung her in a room. She then used her phone camera, took pictures of the girl and rushed to the Police station with her husband to report that the housemaid had committed suicide in her house.
Operatives of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Yaba of the Lagos State command, Nigeria Police Force, however arrested the suspect having smelt foul-play after visiting the scene of the crime and seeing the wounds inflicted on the deceased’s body.
The late housemaid was said to have been killed at No.18, Ogundola Street, in the Bariga area of Lagos State, which is the home of the suspect.
Her killing was said to be in connection with a disagreement over salary issues.
Philips Ejeh, an elder brother to the deceased, while narrating the ordeal in a telephone chat with NATIONAL ACCORD on Thursday, said he was shocked after receiving the information that his sister had been beaten to death.
“So sad to announce that this my sister was beaten to death where she was working as a house help with one woman, NeNe Mrs Steven Fortune, living somewhere at Gbagada and as I’m talking to you now the case has been taken to Pantene at Yaba,” he said.
According to Ejeh, “The deceased is an indigene of Benue State, from Ukpa in Oju Local Government Area and went to Lagos to work for Mrs Stephens as house maid in January, 2020, through an agent.”
He recalled that the Late Miss Joy had earlier reported refusal by her ‘Madam,’ Mrs. Nene Fortun Stephens, to pay her salaries, and that anytime she asked her boss for her salaries, she would literally start beating her.
How late Joy came to Lagos
According to Ejeh, her sister went for the job to be able her further her education after sometimes.
Ejeh further disclosed that Joy was taken from Igede in Benue State by her in-law, Okponya Omonya Hannah (Oju Ekeji Ubwo) to Ibadan. She was moved from Ibadan by Blessing (also an another in-law), to Lagos. Blessing handed her over to the Agent, Mr. Johnson Odewu, a native of Ohuma Uwokwu.
He said: “Blessing told me that the late Joy Okom Adole was serving with an Ibo family at Bariga. Her madam two weeks ago, while the Lockdown was on, called Blessing, the known guardian, and complained that the girl was very stubborn and that she should come and pick her.
“Blessing said that she couldn’t move because of the lockdown and that after the lockdown she would pick her.
“The woman called again on Sunday, after 2 days, and complained about late Joy, and she even said that she beat the hell out of the girl until her husband asked her to stop.
“That Sunday April 19th, Blessing spoke with Joy and assured her that after the Lockdown down, she would come and pick her.
“Then, on Monday 20th of April, the Madam’s husband called Blessing in the morning to request for any contact details of late Joy.
“At 11am, the madam also called Blessing requesting for the girls BVN.
“Blessing became uncomfortable with the calls and requested audience with the girl. It was at that point that she was told that little miss Joy Okom Adole of Onyohu, Ochodu Ukpa was dead, allegedly by hanging.
“The woman took these (deceased’s) pictures and went to the Police station to report.
It was while the late Joy was waiting and hoping that Blessing would come to Lagos to take her away, her boss (Mrs. Stephens) alleged that she caught her stealing one indomie noodles, and that led to her fatal beating.
The suspect, Mrs Stephens, was said to have told the Police that the late Joy hanged herself but Ejeh and other relations insisted that she was killed by her master as they wondered how anybody would hang herself with her legs on the floor.
Lagos State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), DSP Bala Elkana, while confirming the incident, said that the woman and her husband came to Bariga Police Station and reported that their house girl committed suicide in their house.
He said when detectives visited the scene of the incident and saw the position of the rope and how she hanged, they suspected a foul play as wounds were all over the deceased’s body, showing that she was tortured to death rather than committing suicide as alleged by her madam.
DSP Elkana said, “The Police has stepped up thorough investigations and found a lot of signs of violence on her body which shows she tortured her to death before she put rope on her neck to divert attention.
“If it were to be an ordinary suicide, how come wounds and signs of beating are all over her body?” asked the PPRO, adding that the police have removed the corpse and deposited it in a mortuary for autopsy to ascertain the true cause of the death.”
Ejeh, the elder brother to late Joy, has called on good spirited individuals in Nigeria to come to the aid of his family to ensure that justice is done.
“Good people of Nigeria should come to our help,” Ejeh pleaded.
At the time of this report, the result of the autopsy test was still eagerly being awaited by family members.
NATIONAL ACCORD
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