Friday, August 20, 2010
Couple in police net for domestic help's death

Sesan Olufowobi


A woman, Chiamaka Nwajiofor, is now in police net following the death of her domestic help, Oliver Orakwe.


Chiamaka Nwajiofor and Elochukwu Nwajiofor



advertisement

Chiamaka's husband, Elochukwu, has also been arrested for his alleged role in the death of the domestic help as well as alleged maltreatment of other domestic helps.

Ebuka (14) and 11 year-old- boy, Emmanuel (surnames withheld), on Thursday narrated how they were maltreated by the couple. The claimed that the couple treated them like slaves and used chains, hammer, pestle, belt and spatula on them. According to Ebuka, it was due to one of such maltreatment that resulted in Orakwe's death.

To ascertain their claim, Ebuka and Emmanuel showed their bruised bodies as a result of alleged maltreatment by the couple.

Ebuka said anytime they offended Chiamaka, she would tie their hands to their legs, and continuously hit them with hammer.

He said, "There was a day that she said she lost N3, 000 in the house and she accused me of stealing it. She used my belt to beat me until I was forced to confess to what I did not do. "Thereafter, she tied my hands and legs and hit me on the head with a pestle, asking where I hid the money. I started mentioning different places but she could not find the money because I actually did not steal it Then she started hitting me with a hammer. After beating me for week, she left me."

On his part, Emmanuel said Chiamaka took delight in using a spatula on him whenever he was to be punished.

"The day we forgot to put on the fridge, she tied me so that I would not run away and beat me with the spatula and a belt," he said, adding that Elochukwu was an accomplice.

Narrating how Orakwe died, Ebuka said, "Madam said he (Orakwe) was too slow whenever he was washing clothes and I must admit that he was slow. So, on that day, while he was washing clothes, he said he was hungry.

He went into the kitchen, took a piece of fish and ate it. When madam discovered, she beat him to a stupor, tied him and locked him inside toilet for four days.

"After the fourth day, that he started stooling. Madam gave him medicine to use and when the stooling did not stop, he was taken to the hospital where he died."

According to the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank Mba, the police have a conclusive evidence to show that the couple had been abusing the domestic helps and the abuse could have been a remote cause of Orakwe's death.

Mba said, "The landlord of the Nwajiofors was the one that actually reported the maltreatment and the death to the police. Further information gotten from neighbours by policemen corroborated the landlord's assertion.

"Look at the body of the two remaining domestic helps; the old and fresh marks of severe beating showed that they are victims of child abuse."

However, Chiamaka denied maltreating the domestic helps. She said "I took care of them to the best of my ability. How can I maltreat them when I have my own children? All the marks you are seeing on their bodies were marked they brought from their village when they came to live with us three months ago. The fresh injury on Emmanuel's body was the handwork of Ebuka who used to beat him and the one on Ebuka's body was from outside.

"I did not torture anybody. Oliver (Orakwe) fell ill and I gave him drugs that I used for my children who were stooling at that time. When it did not stop, I took him to Eko Hospital and paid N120,000. He later died but I know I tried my best."

But Elochukwu said he was not aware that such terrible thing was going on in his house. He said, "I lost my shop last year when some structures were demolished at Coker in Lagos. Since then I have been hustling, I don't stay at home much. I noticed the injuries but my wife said they were done by either Ebuka or the boys fell. I suspected something was going on and I warned her.

"I only beat Emmanuel when I saw that he used to finger my one-year-old daughter in her private part, otherwise I have never laid my hands on them. I was away when they called me that Oliver (Orakwe) was ill. I came back and I gave my wife some money. I travelled again and she called me later that he was at Eko Hospital because our family hospital rejected him. It was while I was hustling to find Eko Hospital's exorbitant charge that he died."

Mba said the case would be transferred to State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti,Yaba. "Obviously we are investigating two cases in one; homicide and abuse of the other children. We will treat them concurrently and make sure justice is done," he said.

This thread should be in the crimes section.

Andre Uweh:

This thread should be in the crimes section.

. . . . . as the moderators deem fit!