See How woman, neighbour tortured 16-year-old housemaid and almost drove her to suicide

A mother of four, Fatima Williams, and her neighbour, Waliu Yusuf, have been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly brutalising a 16-year-old girl, identified only as Kemi- brought from Cotonou, with a hot iron and electric cables.


She had been reportedly living with Williams, popularly called Alhaja, at her apartment at Soji Adepegba Close, Allen Avenue, Ikeja.since January 2016 as a  housemaid.

It was gathered that the victim was allegedly tortured for not sweeping Williams’ compound last Thursday.

Vanguard learned that after inflicting burns on Kemi, she was ordered to leave the house. Some concerned neighbours alerted policemen attached to Ikeja Division, Williams, 50, was arrested last Thursday at her residence. The policemen thereafter, took the ailing maid to the hospital.

A police source says the teenager has been admitted to the Police Cottage Hospital, Ikeja.

Narrating her seven-month experience in the hands of her boss, Kemi, who spoke with journalists in Yoruba, said:
“Since I was brought from my country, I was not enrolled into any school. I ate very late at night.

“On that particular day, while I was doing my chores, she asked me to accompany her to the market. When we returned, I attempted to eat, but she said I should go and wash her clothes, wash the plates, sweep the compound, wash the gutter, mop the floor, clean the louvres and doors.

“I was on the chores till 11p.m. When she came back, she started quarrelling that I did not clean the compound. She ordered Brother Waliu, who was pressing his clothes to beat me up.

“He came with a wire and beat me and at the same time placed the hot iron on parts of my body. When I called on mummy to come to my rescue, she instructed Brother Waliu to beat me harder.”

However, Mrs Williams, a mother of two, claimed she never laid a finger on Kemi, but admitted to have instructed her relative, Waliu, to beat her.

She said: 

“But in the process, she tore his clothes and ran to the kitchen to collect an insecticide, threatening to take it if Waliu touched her. I did not beat her.”

On his part, Yusuf Waliu, who burnt Kemi with pressing iron, said he did it in error. Asked if the marks of violence on Kemi’s body were also done in error, he said: 

“It was mummy that told me to beat her. I told her to kneel down, she said she won’t. “Instead, she went to the kitchen, took an insecticide and attempted to swallow it. I told mummy to bring palm oil and give her a spoonful to neutralise the effect. 

“I didn’t deliberately burn her with the iron; I only wanted to scare her with it. It was a mistake. Besides, I only used it on her once and beat her with the string.”

The state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded the suspects at the command headquarters, Ikeja, said they would be charged to court at the end of investigation.