PUNCH Metro learnt that the victim was asleep on Friday night at their house on Road 1, Federal Housing Estate, Mile 4, Port Harcourt, when the
suspect allegedly sneaked into her room and emptied a bucket of hot water on her.
The victim sustained burns from her neck region down to one of her feet.
Oluwafunke and Yemisi were stepsisters.
It was gathered that Oluwafunke’s mother
separated from her daughter’s dad as soon as she was born, and she had lived with the father
ever since.
He was said to have remarried a new wife, identified as Victoria, who gave birth to Yemisi
and three other children.
Yemisi was a student of
Medicine at a university in Nassarawa State.
On September 2, PUNCH Metro learnt that there was a disagreement between Oluwafunke and her stepmother, Victoria, and during a struggle, the latter was alleged to have fallen to the ground and hit her head against the wall.
Victoria reported the incident to her children, including the suspect, who was then on the
campus.
She was said to have returned Friday, December 4, and pretended as if all was well.
Oluwafunke, who spoke with PUNCH Metro from the hospital bed, explained that she never
suspected anything after exchanging pleasantries
with the suspect. She said:
“We greeted and I tried to explain to her that I did not touch her mother, that it was a
misunderstanding and she wanted to hit me when I dodged and she fell. She told me not to bother about it, that it was gone and we should move on as sisters.
“I was asleep at night when she
boiled water. She came into my
room with a bucket of hot water
and emptied it on me. I knew she was the one because immediately she did it, I opened my eyes and saw her. I was in pain.”
The victim sustained burns to her neck, breasts, buttocks, chest and back. The suspect reportedly took the victim to a private hospital the following
morning.
Her mother, who lives in Lagos and pleaded not to be named, said she was alerted to the incident on Monday.
She said her ex-husband later moved Oluwafunke from the hospital to a specialist hospital forfor proper treatment. She said:
“I flew in on Monday night and
immediately the plane touched
down, I came right to the hospital.
She has been in pain ever since the incident and although I learnt the matter had been reported at the police station, the police did not act until I got here and Funke’s friends
went to make the report again.
The police had to come to the hospital to take down her statement.”
She said the matter was reported at the Ada-George Police Station.
The suspect’s mother, Victoria, when contacted, said she could not speak to Punch on the matter.
She said:
“If Funke’s people are saying she did not beat me up, then I cannot say anything. When they have told you the truth about what happened, then you can let me know. I am not going to say more than that.”
A Lagos lawyer, Spurgeon Ataene, condemned the
act, urging the police to do their job. He said:
“A family feud does not give
anybody the licence to pour hot
water on the offending party. It is a barbaric act that should be
condemned. The police should take this matter up and make sure justice is served.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Rivers State, Ahmad Muhammad, said he does not confirm such incidents to the press.
“I am sorry, I cannot confirm or
comment on it. I have been on
leave and I just resumed. Aside
that, I cannot say anything on the matter and I cannot confirm
anything to you,” he added.
No comments:
Post a Comment