One Nene Fortune Stephens and her husband have been arrested for the death of their 19 year old house maid, Joy Okom Adole, at their home at No 18 Ogundola street, Bariga, Lagos State.
According to Police investigations, the incident was in connection with disagreement over salary issues. Philips Ejeh, an elder brother to the deceased, said: “The deceased went to Lagos to work for Mrs Stephens as house maid in January, 2020.”
According to him, Joy had earlier reported her boss’ refusal to pay her salaries, and that anytime she asked her boss for her salaries, she would literally start beating her.
It was reported that Joy made an attempt to leave the place, but due to the total lockdown in Lagos, she was not able to leave until Sunday, when her boss said she caught her stealing one indomie noodles and that led to her fatal beating.
Mrs Stephens, in her claim, said that the late Joy hanged herself but the deceased relations insisted that she was killed by her master, wondering how anybody would hang herself with her legs on the floor.
Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), DSP, Bala Elkana, said that the woman and her husband came to Bariga Police Station and reported that their house maid committed suicide in their house. .
He said when detectives visited the scene of the incident and saw the position of the rope and how she hanged, they suspected a foul play as wounds were all over the deceased’s body, showing that she was tortured to death rather than committing suicide as alleged by her madam.
He said, “The Police has stepped up thorough investigations and found a lot of signs of violence on her body. If it were to be an ordinary suicide, how come wounds and signs of beating are all over her body?” asked the PPRO.