Lagos - Information reaching us says a 20-year-old woman, Rafiat Oseni, has been brought before an
Ebute-Meta Magistrate’s court for allegedly killing her day-old baby by
flushing him down a public toilet, Punch Reports.
The incident happened at Alaba Rago Market, Ojo area of Lagos State Nigeria.
It was learnt that Oseni, who hails from one of the Northern states
in the country, worked as a sales girl in the market and had entered the
toilet pretending to ease herself.
She was said to have forced the baby into the toilet, but the baby got stuck in it.
He died as people were attempting to rescue him.
The magistrate, Mr Olanrewaju Olatunji, in obvious shock, asked the suspect why she decided to kill her own child.
Instead of responding, Oseni burst into tears and pleaded for forgiveness.
Olatunji then called the Investigating Police Officer, Woman Corporal Veronica Uket, who narrated the incident.
She said, “Oseni went to the public toilet on January 3, 2014 around
2.30pm. She was said to have pretended that she wanted to ease herself.
“She came out and nobody suspected anything. When she left, the baby
started crying. It was another woman who wanted to use the toilet that
first saw the child and called the attention of the woman in charge of
the public toilet.
“People went there and saw that the baby was stuck inside the toilet.
By the time they removed him, they saw that he was already dead.”
Uket said the suspect could not be found on the day of the incident,
but she was caught the following day when she showed up again in the
market for work.
She was subsequently handed over to the police who arraigned her on Wednesday on one count of murder.
The charge reads, “That you, Rafiat Oseni, on January 3, 2014, at
about 2.30pm at Alaba Rago Market Ojo, Lagos, in the Lagos Magisterial
District, did unlawfully kill a day-old baby and thereby committed an
offence punishable under Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State,
Nigeria, 2011.”
The defendant’s plea was not taken.
The police prosecutor, Inspector Richard Odigwe asked for the remand
of the defendant in line with Section 264 of the Administration of
Criminal Justice, Lagos State Nigeria, 2011.
Odige added that the remand would help the police obtain legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution.
The magistrate agreed to remand the defendant in the Ikoyi Prison pending legal advice.
The matter was adjourned till March 10, 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment