Court jails Lagos couple for killing Idoma girl, Joy Adole

A Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja has jailed a couple, Steve and Fortune Nwankwo for the manslaughter of their maid, Joy Adole.

An agent had taken the late teenager, a native of Idoma in Benue State, to Lagos State for domestic work.

Justice Oyindamola Ogala of the Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, found Nwankwos guilty of conspiracy and manslaughter.

The judge delivered judgment in police suit no ID/13178C/20 against the husband and wife.

Justice Ogala held that the prosecution proved the charges of manslaughter, conspiracy and attempt to pervert justice and misconduct beyond doubt.

The judge said the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses were strong and corroborated the fact that the maid died due to the beating by Fortune.

The first defendant, according to Justice Ogala, assaulted Joy which caused her death as she had not been feeling well before that day.

Justice Ogala said Steve, having found out that his wife “had killed the deceased due to the beating, assisted her in perverting the course of justice by hanging the body”.

“The hanging was staged, the deceased was hanged by a rope and the position the police found her body did not depict suicide as her feet were on the floor”, she noted.

The defendants tampered with evidence when they embalmed the body, which made it difficult for the toxicologist to carry out an autopsy”, the judge added.

Fortune was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Steve bagged two years imprisonment.