LAGOS COUPLE BEATS 10-YEAR-OLD ADOPTED DAUGHTER TO DEATH, POLICE LAUNCH PROBE
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By: Muftau Fatimo
Residents in the Igando area of Lagos State were left in shock after a couple, identified as Paul Onyeama and Adline Ogbonna, allegedly beat their 10-year-old adopted daughter, Faith, to death following weeks of reported abuse.
The incident was said to have occurred on Sunday at their residence on Jemesi Papa Street, where the child was allegedly subjected to repeated maltreatment, assaults, and forced errands despite her age.
It was gathered that the victim had been ill for about two weeks, yet the alleged abuse reportedly continued. A resident, Adekunle Taofeek, said the situation escalated when neighbours raised concerns about the girl’s whereabouts after noticing her absence.
“It was residents who had been observing what was going on that raised the alarm about the whereabouts of the girl before they discovered that she had died. If they had succeeded in disposing of the body, no one would have known her whereabouts,” he said, adding that the matter was reported at the Igando Police Division.
Police operatives were subsequently deployed to the scene, where the couple was arrested and the child’s body recovered.
Another resident, speaking anonymously, alleged that the husband had earlier left home to arrange a tricycle to dispose of the body, while youths in the area later apprehended both suspects.
“The moment the girl died, they kept her corpse in the room and acted as though nothing had happened,” the resident claimed.
A police source said the suspects, during interrogation, claimed the child was ill and died while receiving treatment at a hospital, while investigations are ongoing.
“Our preliminary findings revealed that the child was already dead before she was brought to the medical facility. The case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, for further investigation,” the source said.
Speaking further on the incident, Taofeek, who is the state coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, said the medical facility where Faith was taken confirmed that she was brought in dead.
“While I was questioning the suspect, he claimed the girl was sick, that they rushed her to the hospital, and that she died while receiving treatment. I then asked which hospital was involved.
“Unfortunately for him, the doctor there is known to me and also my personal physician. I called the doctor to verify the claim, and he confirmed that a child was brought to the hospital, but she was already dead on arrival,” he added.
Taofeek also vowed that justice would be pursued in the matter.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, could not be reached for comments as calls to her telephone line were not answered. A text message sent to her had yet to be replied to as of the time of filing this report.
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