Residents of Igando, Lagos State have been left in shock after a couple, Paul Onyeama and Adline Ogbonna, were accused of b£ating their 10-year-old adopted daughter, identified as Faith, to d£ath following weeks of alleged abuse.
According to local accounts, the incident occurred on Sunday, April 26, after what neighbours described as prolonged maltreatment. The child was reportedly subjected to frequent assaults and made to carry out strenuous errands despite being ill for about two weeks.
A resident, Adekunle Taofeek, said the situation escalated when the couple allegedly beat the already sick child.
“The couple had adopted a 10-year-old girl. They had been consistently maltreating and assaulting the child, while also sending her on unnecessary errands,” he said.
“I was informed that the girl had been sick for about two weeks, yet the abuse continued. Yesterday, both the husband and wife allegedly beat the child severely despite her condition, and sadly, she died.” he added
The suspects were said to have taken the child to a hospital after the incident, where she was confirmed dead on arrival.
Another resident, who spoke anonymously, alleged that the couple initially attempted to conceal the death.
“The moment the girl died, they kept her corpse in the room and acted as though nothing had happened. The wife even came out this morning to cook in the kitchen like nothing had happened.
“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.”
Angered by the incident, youths in the area reportedly apprehended the woman, while the man was later held after allegedly leaving home to arrange transportation to dispose of the body.
The case was reported to the Nigeria Police Force at the Igando division, leading to the arrest of both suspects and recovery of the child’s body. A police source told Punch that preliminary findings indicate the girl was already dead before she was taken to the hospital.
“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. Taofeek added that hospital verification contradicted the suspects’ claims.
“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.”