A disturbing case of child abuse has surfaced from Lagos, where a couple has been placed under custody for the death of their adoptive daughter, Faith, who was ten years old.
The pair, Paul Onyeama and Adline Ogbonna, are accused of repeatedly abusing the child physically in the Igando neighborhood of Lagos state on April 26.
Local reports state that despite being sick for two weeks, the boy was frequently beaten and forced to run difficult tasks.
According to a resident who spoke to journalists last week, the situation had gotten worse the day before, when the couple allegedly beat the already sick girl severely, which led to her death.
“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”, a resident said.
“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.”
The infant was apparently taken by the suspects to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival. Enraged by the act, local youths arrested the woman and later the husband, who reportedly went out to arrange the body’s disposal.
After locals noticed the youngster was missing, they raised the alarm, which resulted in the child’s death being found and the police being notified of the situation. After responding, police officers took the pair into custody.
Preliminary results indicated that the infant was already dead before being brought to the hospital, despite the suspects’ claims that she passed away while receiving treatment.
ENigeria Newspaper gathered that residents and concerned people have persisted in calling for justice for the young girl whose life ended in such awful circumstances while investigations are ongoing.
