Our Attention was drawn to tweets posted by Twitter users Andrew Ode and James Mac calling for "Justice" from the Nigeria Police Complaint Response Unit (CRU) for Late Miss Joy Okom Adole, a 19-year-old indigene of Ukpa Community in Oju L.G.A of Benue State. A housemaid who was allegedly Murdered by her employer, Mrs Nene Fortune Stephens of No.18 Ogundola street, Bariga area of Lagos State.
According to James Mac, the deceased was killed for demanding for her 3 months salary, and disagreement that follows over a stolen Noodles. Narrating the ordeal, Philips Ejeh, an elder brother to the deceased said he felt so sad when they called him that his younger sister was beaten to death "The deceased who is an indigene of Benue State Igede to be precise came to Lagos to seek greener pastures in early January 2020, through an agent," Philips explained that the deceased had earlier reported her Madam's refusal to pay her salary and that anytime she asked her for her 3 months salary, she would literally start beating her.
The late miss Joy made an attempt to leave Mrs Nene's House, but due to the total lockdown in Lagos state caused by the Covid-19 Coronavirus Pandemic, she was unable to find a vehicle, so she returned back to her Madam's house who refused to let her in, but her husband later did that evening. Blessing the Agent that introduced Joy to Mrs Nene Fortune Stephens said she (Nene) called her complaining bitterly that Joy is a very stubborn girl, that she should come and take her, she doesn't want her around her house anymore, Blessing said she wanted to but couldn't move because of the lockdown, that she would pick her up when the lockdown is relaxed by the state government, she said during their phone conversation, she could hear Mrs Nene beating Joy while her husband begged her to stop beating her.
Blessing said that same day she spoke with Joy and assured her that she will come for her when the lockdown is over. Only to hear the shocking Sad news that Joy passed on, Monday 20th of April, 2020. From Mrs Nene who called her to request for the contact of Joy's close relative, Blessing said she was uncomfortable by her demand so she requested to speak with Joy, that was when she was told that joy had died.
Mrs Nene claimed that Joy hung herself but Joy relations are insisting that she was killed by her, wondering how anybody would hang herself with her legs on the floor. Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO), DSP, Bala Elkana, said that the woman & her husband came to Bariga Police Station and reported that their housemaid had committed suicide in their house. He said that when detectives visited the scene of the incident and saw the position of the rope and how she was hanging, they suspected a foul play because wounds were all over the deceased’s body which shows that the girl had been tortured to death as against committing suicide alleged by her madam. He said, through their investigations, they found signs of wounds on her body which shows she was brutally tortured to death before her Madam put a rope on her neck to fake her death so as to conceal evidence, “If it were to be an ordinary suicide, how come wounds and signs of beating are all over her body?” said the Police P.R.O, adding that the police has removed the corpse and deposited it in a mortuary for an autopsy to ascertain the true cause of the death. According to Phillips, the brother to the deceased, her sister decided to go for the job to enable her further her education, but now she has been killed by her Madam simply because she didn't want to pay her 3 months salary, Philips is calling on all good-spirited individuals in Nigeria to come to the aid of his family to ensure that justice is served.
