Residents were thrown into shock after a couple, Paul Onyeama and Adline Ogbonna, allegedly beat their 10-year-old adopted daughter to death in the Igando area of Lagos State.

It was learnt that the incident occurred on Sunday, following weeks of alleged abuse.

It was gathered that the couple who lived on Jemesi Papa Street had reportedly subjected the child 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, Adekunle Taofeek, told PUNCH Metro on Monday that 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.

Angered by the development, youths in the area who learnt of the incident apprehended the woman.

Another resident, who requested anonymity for personal reasons, told our correspondent that the husband, who 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,” the resident said.

He added that the matter was promptly reported at the Igando Police Division.

Police operatives were thereafter deployed to the scene, leading to the arrest of the couple and the recovery of the child’s body.

A police source told PUNCH Metro that the suspects, during interrogation, claimed the girl was sick and died while receiving treatment at a 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.

Speaking further on the incident, Taofeek, who is the state coordinator of the Take It Back Movement, said the medical facility where Faith was taken confirmed that she was brought in dead.

“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,” he added.

Taofeek also vowed that justice would be pursued in the matter.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, could not be reached for comments as calls to her telephone line were not answered. A text message sent to her had yet to be replied to as of the time of filing this report. (The PUNCH)

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