The Igando community in Lagos state has been thrown into deep mourning following the death of a 10-year-old girl, who was allegedly beaten to death by her adopted parents, Paul Onyeama and Adline Ogbonna.
According to reports, the incident occurred on Sunday, following weeks of alleged abuse.
The couple, who lived on Jemesi Papa Street, reportedly subjected the minor to persistent maltreatment, including frequent assaults and sending her on strenuous errands despite her young age.
The girl, identified as Faith, was said to have fallen ill for about two weeks, but the alleged abuse reportedly continued unabated.
A resident of the area, said the situation escalated on Sunday when the husband and wife were said to have severely beaten the ailing child, leading to her death.
He said, “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.
“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.”
It was gathered that the suspects later rushed the victim to a hospital, where she was confirmed dead on arrival.
Youths in the area, who were reportedly angered by the development, apprehended the woman.
The husband had allegedly left home earlier to procure a tricycle to dispose of the girl’s corpse, was also held by the youths.
“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,” a resident said.
Police operatives were thereafter deployed to the scene, leading to the arrest of the couple and the recovery of the child’s body.
“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,” a source said.
