Family cries out as police allegedly release killer of Benue girl working as housemaid in Lagos

The  Family members of Joy Akum Adole, a housemaid, who was allegedly murdered by a couple in Lagos have cried out, saying that one of the major suspects rounding the death of their own had been released by the Lagos State Police Command.

 

One of the sisters of the deceased simply identified as Blessing told Independent that following the death of their sister, a 19-year-old girl in the hands of the couple, who employed her as a maid, the police in Lagos granted bail to the husband, a major suspect in a murder case.

 

Blessing said that when the investigating team at the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti Street, Yaba, Lagos, was asked why one of the prime suspects was re­leased, they were told the matter was still under investigation and that they were not to teach them their job.

 

“When they were going to the house where our sister died on investigation, they did not allow us to go with them. They said it is their work, not ours, and that it was the woman they were investigating not the man. Our sister started work with the couple three months ago on the salary of N15,000 per month. She was only paid N10,000 since then. It was in the process of demanding for her salary that led to her brutal death.”

 

While narrating the controversies that surrounded the death of the deceased, Mrs. Blessing said: “Joy started working with Mrs. Steve on January 10, 2020 and she was only paid N10,000 instead of N45,000 that she was due for as at March and when Joy asked madam Fortune for her money, she refused to pay her.

 

“I also asked her why she didn’t pay her in full, she said Joy has spoiled a lot of things in her house and that she was not going to pay her.”

 

“Around 11am, April 20, Mrs For­tune’s number called my line again but it was a male voice I heard and he was asking me if I have the accounts details of Joy’s parent so that they can transfer her money to them and I told them to ask Joy that she is not a baby and she can read and write. At first, the man told me that they were trying to get Joy’s full name because they want to bring out her BVN and pay her money into her account but I insisted they should speak with Joy. At that point, the man opened up to me that Joy had died and that they have taken her corpse to the mortuary. I demanded for the identity of the man and he said he is a policeman from Ipaja Police station at Bariga.

 

“Mrs. Fortune also confirmed to me that Joy had died and that she committed suicide. She told me she discovered Joy died on Monday morn­ing and that she got to know she was dead when she noticed that she was not awake till 7am and she went to her room and noticed she had hung herself.

 

“I then asked her why she didn’t call to inform me that Joy died since around 7am until past 11am. She didn’t say anything. The husband also gave a conflicting details, saying when they opened the door, the wife found Joy dead in her room but the wife said she hung herself. The picture of Joy that we were shown revealed a lot of bruises on her body and we have also gone to see Joy at the morgue and we are trying to do an autopsy,” she concluded.