Grief was the ambience of Ogbe Close, Iwaya , Yaba , Lagos State , on Wednesday, after a four - year- old girl , Faridat Sulyman , was found dead in a shrine at the back of her parents’ apartment .
The victim was reportedly recovered in a pool of blood at about 8 pm on Tuesday with a deep cut on her throat.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the girl and her two siblings – Fawaz, 11, and Roqeebat, 9 – had gone to a summer school in the neighbourhood at about 2pm while their mother went to a market to buy foodstuffs .
From the school, they reportedly went to an Arabic school . After closing at about 7 pm, they went to observe prayer in a mosque and subsequently went to their mother’ s friend ’s shop around the school to wait for her .
Faridat, who was playing around the shop, disappeared shortly before the mother arrived to take them home .
They were said to be searching for her when the mother, Bunmi Sulyman , stumbled on her body at the shrine at the back of their apartment .
Blood traces of the deceased were seen at a makeshift beside the shrine when our correspondent visited the scene on Wednesday.
Policemen were also seen monitoring the scene of the crime .
It was gathered that the parents and eight neighbours had been picked up by the police for interrogation.
Bunmi, who spoke with PUNCH Metro at the Sabo Police Station , said she suspected that an elderly woman she had earlier sighted killed her daughter.
She said, “ The woman and a girl came around 8 am with palm wine , salt , palm oil and a hen she wanted to slaughter at the shrine. I don’ t know their names . After praying at the shrine, the woman called our neighbours’ children , but nobody answered her .
“ It is one Ola Sheu and Kazeem, who normally help her to do the slaughtering. She called people from our compound , but nobody responded. She later left. I suspect she came back in the evening .
“ After searching for my daughter for about an hour without success, I decided to observe Ishai (8 pm) prayer. I wanted to perform ablution at the scene when I saw traces of blood . I initially thought it was the blood of the hen. I shone my torchlight on it and discovered that the blood was much .
“ I traced the path of the blood and saw my daughter lying beside the shrine. Her throat was cut . They covered her mouth so that she would not scream . I raised the alarm and her father, who had been at home since 7 pm, rushed out. We took her to different hospitals , but she was rejected . She was confirmed dead on arrival at the Yaba General Hospital. ”
Bunmi said although the owner of the shrine was late , his child , Lekan, worshipped there every year , adding that he usually used dogs to perform rituals at the shrine.
“ Faridat was very smart and intelligent . She walked around the neighbourhood alone , but I never thought she would end up this way. She just finished kindergarten 1 and was given a prize for coming first in her class ,” she added .
The state Commissioner of Police , Fatai Owoseni, who confirmed the incident during a press briefing at the Police Officers ’ Mess , Ikeja , on Tuesday , said he had visited “ the Ogun shrine. ”
He said, “ We have seen the tool with which that child was killed . We have taken about 10 persons into custody for interrogation, including the parents of the child . We are not saying categorically that they killed the child , but the 10 persons are being questioned. A preliminary investigation shows that there is actually an element of conspiracy in the matter . ”
Meanwhile, Owoseni said one Ahmed Adeleke was responsible for an attack on a Cherubim and Seraphim church , Orioke Irapada parish, Agbowa , during which a worshipper’ s head was smashed with a stone .
Our correspondent had reported that the victim was attacked after a vigil in the church on August 5 .
The CP said the stone , three handkerchiefs , and a bloodstained white garment used by the suspect , had been recovered, adding that the suspect refused to confess to the crime despite the exhibits .
The suspect , Adeleke , who claimed to be a hairdresser apprentice , told
PUNCH Metro that he was invited to the church by a colleague , Kehinde.
He said , “ I live on Ojokoro Street , Agric, Ikorodu . I went to worship at the church that day and put my garment in a bag after the vigil . I was returning home when I heard people shouting
Badoo . They beat me up . Kehinde was also at the church that day .”
News Credit: PUNCH.NG
0 Comments