Crime

Housemaids Horror: Series of attacks that has led to abuse, deaths of young girls

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4 years ago

April 23, 2020

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A housewife, Mrs Nene Fortune Stephens of number 18 Ogundola street, Bariga Lagos is cooling her heels at the Police station for murder.

She was said to have tortured her maid, Miss Joy Akom Adole from Benue state to death over a dispute about salary arrears and stealing of Indomie noodles.

After realising the girl had given up the ghost, she with the help of her husband hung the poor girl and went to the police with claims that she had committed suicide.

The girls relatives who were aware of the acrimony between madam and maid raised an alarm and police investigations showed it was murder. The girl had numerous bodily wounds, her feet were on the ground.

The autopsy report later showed she was hung after she had given up the ghost.

Mrs Stephens will soon be in court.

In 2003, Nigeria adopted the Child Rights Act to domesticate the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It was created to serve as a legal documentation and protection of Children rights and responsibilities in Nigeria.

The law has three primary purposes among which is to provide the responsibilities of government agencies associated with the law and to integrate children-focused legislation into one comprehensive law. It also acts as legislation against human trafficking as it forbids children from being separated from their parents against their will, except where it is in the best interests of the child.

But most Nigerians violate this Act, as they carry on as thin gods when dealing with maids. Some of the most gruesome cases are compiled below by Ediale Kingsley.

Miracle’s Case:

On May 20, 2017, an Eight-year-old Miracle, was beaten to death by her madam, Oby, in Lagos. The suspect who was pregnant with her third child was arrested by policemen attached to Isolo division, while she was on her way to dispose of the corpse.

Late Miracle, as gathered, was brought from the village alongside one Chinacherem, when she was just six years old.

The suspect was said to have stopped them from going to school and always descended on them at the slightest provocation.

During interrogation, Oby denied culpability, stating rather that Miracle died during a fight with Chinacherem. Upon further interrogation, Chinamerem blew the lid by revealing to the Police how her companion in slavery was killed and how she was brainwashed into admitting that she died during a fight with her.

Joy’s Case: Another 10yr old tortured to death

Another victim was 10-year-old Joy, who was also beaten to death in Ikorodu, Lagos State, in December 2016.

Her madam who doubled as her assailant reportedly started beating her that fateful December 19, at 3am, until she collapsed in her apartment on Bolanle Oduniyi street, in Okegbegun community, where she lived with her husband and three children,

Favour’s corpse was deposited at the Ikorodu General Hospital morgue by her guardian. But one of the doctors who noticed marks of violence on her body alerted policemen at the Shagamu Road division, who subsequently arrested her assailant identified simply as Alapa.

Chinyere’s Case: Policewoman brutality

One of the cases of brutality on a maid was carried out by a policewoman in Bayelsa State, some years ago. One would have expected that as a law enforcement agent , the accused should have known better.

In this case, she allegedly poured hot water on her 15-year-old maid,Chinyere Igwe, who hails from Igbere in Bende local government area of Abia, for wrongfully applying condiments in a pot of soup. Her action prompted the Eboyi State Governor’s wife to call for her immediate arrest.

Tolu’s Case: Female lawyer arrested for incessant abuse

In December 2017, a female lawyer was arrested by the Lagos State Police Command, over alleged incessant abuse on her housemaid.

Arrest of the lawyer identified as Tolu Ola, followed directive from the then command boss, Imohimi Edgal, upon seeing picture of the victim with a deep cut on her forehead, on the internet.

The CP who wondered why one who knew the legal implication of such action could indulge in such, vowed to use her as deterrent to other women who treat maids like piece of rags.

Precious Case: A victim of a female banker’s attack

Again, in January 2018, the Lagos State Police Command arrested a woman who locked her maid inside an apartment in Mafoluku area of Lagos.

In this case, then Commissioner of Police, CP Edgal Imohimi, personally went for the 11- year-old maid , Precious Nwafor’s rescue, following complaint of ill treatment by neighbours. The suspect, Nkechiyere Nwajagun, a banker , admitted to have locked Precious inside the apartment but was quick to add that it was only between the time she went to work and returned.

Paulina’s Case: Victimized by a Nurse

A nurse identified as Yetunde Bello was arrested for allegedly torturing her 10-year-old housemaid, Paulina, with a hot iron.

It was widely reported as at that time how Bello inflicted an injury on her housemaid’s lap with the iron as punishment for damaging the knob of a tap on the premises of her residence located on Odutan street, Araromi, in the Iyana Ipaja area of the state.

And further investigations had revealed that Bello had subjected the girl to persistent assaults for months.

Like Joy, Paulina too came from Benue state, where her parents live.

A resident, who found out about the assault, reported the case to a human rights group, Esther Child Rights Foundation, after which the foundation reported the case at the Gowon Estate police station and the mother of two was arrested.

The resident, who claimed anonymity, said,

“Recently, the woman instructed her to fetch water from the tap. Unfortunately, she damaged the knob of the tap in the process and was scared to tell her boss knowing that she would be seriously dealt with.

“When the woman returned from work, neighbours begged her to pardon the girl. On getting inside, she met the girl ironing clothes. She collected the iron from her and placed it on her lap.”

This incident was also confirmed by the then Lagos state police public relations officer, CSP Chike Oti. He said: “The suspect is a nurse. She has two kids and the victim, a 10-year-old girl lived with her. She was arrested for assaulting the girl and charged to Ogba magistrate court on May 28, 2018″.

Decrying the assault on Paulina the coordination of the human rights foundation, Esther Ogwu, said: “I can’t imagine a woman using a hot iron on a child simply because she spoilt something. All promises by the woman to send the child to school were simply false as everything she experienced was suffering.

“After using the hot iron on the victim, there was no treatment for the child. This is wickedness of the highest order. Parents should engage in family planning in order to ensure that they have the necessary provisions to take care of their children instead of giving them out. The matter has been charged to court.”

Titi’s Case: Victimized by a fashion designer

A fashion designer, Bisi Olukayode, was also arrested by the Lagos state police command, for allegedly torturing her maid, Anjuwah Sunday, aka Titi, at her residence in the Lekki area of the state.

National Daily had reported how the victim, who arrived in Lagos with her grandmother, had been living with the suspect at her residence in Lekki Gardens Estate Phase 3, for two years.

10-year-old girl’s Case: Tortured to death

There was also a similar news outside Nigeria.

A ten-year-old girl working as domestic help in a Gujranwala was allegedly tortured to death.

Enraged at the death of the girl, her parents and relatives blocked the Lahore-Sheikhupura road in protest against the killing. And that resultes to a long queues of vehicles owing to suspension of traffic on the road.

According to the victim’s heirs, she used to work at the house of a trader, Ali, in Gujranwala. She was tortured to death with sticks by her employer, they alleged.

Maria’s Case

Also in another similar case outside Nigeria. Another case involving torture on a minor housemaid by her employers in Faisalabad came to the fore.

Maria, who used to work as maid at a house in Nisar colony, was recovered by the local police one sad night. She was handed over to Child Protection and Welfare Bureau. She bore torture marks on her face, ears and arms and had swollen legs and feet.

A first information report (FIR) was registered against her employer, Owais and his wife Sonia after initial medical examination confirmed the torture inflicted on her.

The bureau as at the time of the incident then, told reporters that the accused had gone into hiding following registration of the case. It said the girl’s fingers were also broken, expressing the apprehension that she might have been subjected to sexual assault.

In a statement, the victim girl sharing her ordeal said her employers used to beat her more often than not.

She said her father had passed away and her mother had left her at the house to work as housemaid one year back and had not come to meet her yet.