By: Sunday Ameh
Residents of the Igando area of Lagos State were thrown into mourning after a couple allegedly beat their 10-year-old adopted daughter to death following weeks of reported abuse.
The deceased, identified simply as Faith, was allegedly assaulted to death on Sunday by her adoptive parents, identified as Paul Onyeama and Adline Ogbonna, at their residence on Jemesi Papa Street.
It was gathered that the child had allegedly been subjected to repeated maltreatment, including frequent beatings and strenuous domestic errands despite her age.
Sources in the community said the victim had also been ill for about two weeks before the incident, but the alleged abuse reportedly continued.
A resident, Adekunle Taofeek, told our correspondent on Monday that the situation turned fatal after the couple allegedly assaulted the girl while she was sick.
“The couple adopted the girl and had been consistently maltreating her. They often beat her and sent her on unnecessary errands,” he said.
“We learnt that she had been sick for about two weeks, yet the abuse did not stop. On Sunday, both of them allegedly beat her severely despite her condition, and she eventually died.”
It was learnt that after discovering the child had died, the suspects allegedly rushed her to a hospital where medical personnel reportedly confirmed that she was brought in dead.
The incident, however, sparked outrage among residents who had reportedly observed the child’s treatment over time.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, said some youths in the area apprehended the female suspect after learning about the incident.
According to the resident, the male suspect was later intercepted after he allegedly left home to get a tricycle with the intention of disposing of the child’s corpse.
“The moment the girl died, they kept her body inside the room and acted like nothing happened. The woman even came out the following morning to cook as if everything was normal,” the resident said.
“It was neighbours who became suspicious and began asking questions about the girl before discovering that she had died. If they had succeeded in disposing of the body, nobody would have known what happened to her.”
The matter was subsequently reported at the Igando Police Division.
Police operatives were said to have visited the scene, arrested the suspects and recovered the corpse of the deceased.
A police source familiar with the investigation said the couple claimed during interrogation that the child died while receiving treatment at a hospital.
However, preliminary findings reportedly indicated that the victim was already dead before she was taken to the medical facility.
“Our preliminary investigation showed that the child had died before she was brought to the hospital. The case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, for further investigation,” the source said.
Taofeek, who identified himself as the state coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, also claimed the hospital confirmed that the child was brought in dead.
“While questioning one of the suspects, he said the girl was sick and died while receiving treatment. I asked him which hospital they took her to.
“The doctor there is someone I know personally, so I contacted him and he confirmed that the child was brought in dead,” he said.
Efforts to get an official reaction from the Lagos State Police Command were unsuccessful as the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, had yet to respond to calls and text messages as of the time of filing this report.
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