A pregnant woman, Mrs. Funmilayo Ajibola, died last Wednesday in
Badagry, Lagos State after being allegedly brutalised by her husband,
Kola. The 30-year-old housewife had been a victim of domestic abuse for
years before she died on the fateful day.
Funmilayo’s
cousin, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity,
said Kola, a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, was
a jealous husband who always suspected his wife’s movements.
She
said, “Kola is a very jealous husband. My cousin changed her phone
lines more than 15 times throughout their six years marriage lasted
because anytime Kola saw a strange number on her phone, he would destroy
the SIM card.
“Sometimes, if she came back late or went out, he
would beat her. There was a time she visited her father and when she got
back home late, Kola told her to pick between him and her father.
“According
to a young girl that lives with the couple, on Sunday night, Funmilayo
received a call from her maternal uncle and when Kola saw the number, he
started beating her. He did not even listen to her explanation.”
The cousin said when the beating got out of hand, the landlord intervened and took Funmilayo to his flat.
The
landlord was said to have told Funmilayo to go back to her husband’s
apartment believing that his anger would have subsided but Kola was said
to have continued to beat her.
PUNCH Metro learnt that although
the deceased did not die after the beating, she started exhibiting
strange symptoms before her death.
Her cousin said, “Although I
wasn’t there, the young girl that lives with them told me that Funmilayo
was unconscious for a while, making Kola to become scared.
“Kola
rushed her to a nearby hospital where she started to vomit blood. The
hospital refused to admit her because they owed the hospital some money.
“Kola
then took her back to the house and invited an auxiliary nurse to come
and attend to her but her health continued to deteriorate.”
The nurse was said to have given the deceased some injections and bags of drip.
“The
young girl that lives with them told me that on Tuesday, Funmilayo ate
some rice but vomited it soon after. When her health did not improve,
the nurse told Kola that she could no longer locate her vein,” our
source said.
It was learnt that when Funmilayo died on Wednesday,
Kola took her corpse to the Badagry General Hospital mortuary and told
the attendant that his wife died of pregnancy complications.
He was
said to have promised to return but later fled. Our correspondent learnt
that neighbours immediately informed members of Funmilayo’s family who
then came to 5, Ilufe Street, Ibereko Bus Stop, Badagry where the couple
resided.
It was learnt that when all efforts to trace Kola
failed, his younger brother, was arrested by policemen attached to
Badagry Police Division.
At the station, Kola’s brother revealed his location and policemen immediately arrested him.
A police source told our correspondent that the 33-year-old suspect admitted beating his wife.
“I
am not a doctor but there were bruises on the corpse and there is no
doubt that Kola beat her up and he has confessed. He however said he did
not kill her,” he said.
Funmilayo’s cousin however berated the police on how the investigations were being handled.
She
said, “Kola has been beating Funmilayo for a long time to the extent
that the landlord had issued them a quit notice for fear that he might
kill her.
“Police should have invited the landlord for
questioning as well as the nurse that was treating Funmilayo. Also, the
case should have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation
Department by now,” she said.
When contacted the spokesperson for the
state police command, Ngozi Braide, said the command would ensure that a
thorough investigation was carried out.
She said, “Investigation
will be done professionally. The Badagry Division has to conclude
preliminary investigations before transferring the case to the SCID.
“Also, Kola will be charged with murder because all evidence points to him. It’s a clear case and there will be no cover up.
“We
are waiting for approval from a magistrate court before going ahead
with the autopsy and once all things are in order, he’ll be charged to
court.”
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