One Olasunkanmi Lawal, a 52-year-old housewife, during a scuffle with her mother-in-law recently, reportedly lost one of her eyes.
Olasunkanmi said her mother-in-law, Aduke Awakan attacked her when she stopped giving her money.
The mother of two told The Punch that the case was reported at the Adeniji Adele Police Station, leading to the arrest of the septuagenarian and her daughters, Bose Showole (39) and Oduntan Enitan (24), who also joined in tormenting her.
The suspects were subsequently charged to court yesterday.
Meanwhile, narrating the incident, Olasunkanmi said,
“My husband and I live in the family house on Isale-Agbede Street, on the Lagos Island area of Lagos State and we have been there since 1989. We have two children.
“However, my mother-in-law started keeping malice with me after I stopped giving her money. I lost my jewellery business due to the demolition of my shop in 2014 and because of that; I could no longer support her.
“On Saturday, January 16, around 4pm, I returned from work and I met her at home. When I greeted her, she shunned me. I was surprised because I never had any disagreement with her.
“Before I knew it, one of her children, Bose (Showole), punched me in the left eye. I fought back. Her grandchild, Enitan, used stone to hit me in the same eye, while the woman herself hit me with a chair. Blood started coming out from the eye.
“I reported the assault at the Adeniji Adele Police Station and from there I was referred to the Lagos Island General Hospital, where the doctors told me I had lost the use of my left eye.
A medical report from the hospital, signed by one J.O. Owuye, said the victim was diagnosed with, “left periorbital swelling, abrusion at anterior chest wall.”
According to reports, the police arrested the 79-year-old, but later released her on bail after the two other suspects, Showole and Enitan, were produced by the family.
The victim, however, accused the Investigating Police Officer, IPO, Ajekigbe Sarah, of taking sides with the suspects, alleging that the IPO deliberately prevented her from completing her statement at the station.
She said, “She stopped me midway and said I should go to the hospital for treatment, but when I returned to finish writing the statement, she said it was no longer necessary. Even the DPO queried her for the action,” she added.
Following the assault and neglect from the police, Olasunkanmi’s father, Alhaji Ahmed Oshodi, called for justice, but the suspect, (victim’s mother-in-law), denied the allegations.
In her statement to the police, she said, “It was about 4pm. I was at home when Olasunkanmi came in and greeted me and I told her not to greet me again.
“Olasunkanmi is the wife of my son. I asked her not to greet me because the previous day, she abused me indirectly and I decided not to reply her greetings again.
“So, when she came in and greeted me, I shunned her, but one of my daughters intervened and that led to an argument which degenerated into a fight between my daughter and my daughter-in-law.
“I don’t know how she got injured in the eye,” she added.
Showole, in her defence, said she intervened because Olasunkanmi who was her brother’s wife, was “abusing my mother and pointing a finger at her.
“I pushed her hand and she slapped me on the face, then we started fighting. She held my clothes and I did the same. I don’t know what happened to her eye,” she said.
Enitan denied involvement in the fight, noting that the fight was between Olasunkanmi and Showole.
The police on Thursday arraigned the trio before a Tinubu Magistrate’s Court on three counts of assault occasioning harm.
The charges read in part, “That you, Aduke Awakan, Bose Shobowale and Oduntan Eniola, on January 16, 2016, did unlawfully assault one Olasunkanmi Lawal, by giving her fist blows and injuring her with a crate of eggs and stone that led to injury in her left eye.”
The police prosecutor, I. Okeke, said the offence was punishable under sections 409, 171 and 170 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Magistrate, Mr. A.A. Adefulire, admitted them to bail in the sum of N20, 000 with two sureties in like sum and adjourned till March 24, 2016 for mention.
Comments