The Lagos State Police Command for allegedly
beating her husband’s three-year-old niece, Deborah Bassey, to death, has
arrested a 21-year-old woman, Rebecca Bassey. According to police authorities, the suspect beat
up the girl because she vomited and defecated on herself. A police source told reporters on Thursday
that the incident occurred at Ijaiye Ojokoro area of the state on July
22, 2013.
He said, “The victim (Deborah) lost her mother in
2010. Early this year, Deborah’s father was evicted from his home and he
decided to send Deborah and his second child to go and stay with his brother,
Vincent, until he settles down.
“Deborah and her nine-year-old sister were living
with Vincent and his wife, Rebecca, in a one-room apartment at Powerline,
Jankara, Ijaiye Ojokoro. However, Rebecca was always maltreating the two
children.”
According to police investigations, on the day of
the incident, Deborah woke up around 5.30am with a high temperature.
The three-year-old girl was said to have started
vomiting and defecating soon after. This was said to have angered Rebecca, who
instead of administering treatment to the child, decided to beat her up.
A police source said, “In the process of beating
the girl, the suspect pushed her and she fell, hitting her head against the
edge of a wooden chair in the room.”
Reporters learnt that the victim started to bleed
from the head. Some neighbours rushed her to Ahmadiyya Hospital, where she was
referred to Orile Agege General Hospital where she later died.
A woman leader in the area, Kudirat Ogunseyi, was
said to have reported the matter to Ijaye Ojokoro Police Division after which
the suspect was arrested.
Some neighbours, in their statements at the
police station, described the suspect as a hot-tempered woman, who was fond of
beating the children.
“The way that woman beats up the children was
very worrying to the extent that the landlord had threatened to evict them,”
one of the statements reads.
Vincent told the police that he was
not present when his wife beat his niece to death.
“I was not at home when the incident happened. I
am a photographer during daytime but I work as a vigilante
group member. So I hardly sleep at home,” he said.
The suspect however said she did not kill the
victim deliberately. She said she only pushed Deborah and she hit her head
against the chair.
“I am a housewife and I have a 10-month-old
baby. I did not mean to kill her (Deborah). I only pushed her because she
vomited and defecated on the floor. I was only trying to correct her. It was
not deliberate. I am a mother too and I know how I would feel if my son was
killed,” she said.
It was learnt that the matter had been
transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba.
A source at the SCID said the police were waiting
for autopsy. He added that if other wounds were found on other parts of
the victim’s body, it would prove that the victim was indeed tortured before
her death.
When contacted on the telephone, the Police
Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, said she would call back.
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