Benue maid beaten to death in Lagos by couple over indomie, hangs her to fake suicide

A 19-year-old maid, Adole Joy, has been beaten to death by her madam, Mrs. Steven Fortune, at their Gbagada residence in Lagos.

Joy, an indigene of Ukpa Oju Local Government Area of Benue state, had worked for her employers for only four months, before her untimely demise.

Brother of the deceased, Adole John, who spoke on her death, claimed Fortune and her husband had beaten his sister to death and hung her to a ceiling fan, pre-supposing suicide.

According to John, one Blessing, and Johnson, who are agents brought his sister to Lagos to work as a maid.

John, who said he didn’t know of the arrangement, said he was told his sister was in Ibadan, where she was helping a couple, who were in turn taking care of her education..

 He said: “I did not know my sister was in Lagos, until the ugly incident. I last heard she was in Ibadan, where she was working and also schooling. It was after her death that I heard she had left her employers at Ibadan for Lagos. 

“I heard she got the job through a lady called Sister Blessing, who connected her to an agent, Johnson. It was Johnson who got her the job at Gbagada.”

Insisting his sister was murdered, John said eyewitness had told him that Mrs. Fortune and her husband were responsible for his sister’s death.

He said: “She only worked for that couple from January 10 to April 10. She told them she did not want to work for them again and requested for her salary. 

“The couple had refused to pay her until in April 19, when they finally paid her.  It was late that day and when she packed her things and left to get a bus, she could not find one due to the lockdown. 

“She went back to her employer’s house and sat outside the gate. Her master spotted her sitting outside the gate and called the attention of his wife. She came out and started questioning my sister. 

“She asked what was in one of her bags, and she even dragged the bag from her and found noodles. She started shouting that my sister had stolen her noodles.

“She dragged her into the house and started searching all her bags. Mrs. Fortune also claimed she stole her books, clothes and gold necklace. 

“She and her husband started beating her and I guess when they discovered she was dead, they tied her neck to a ceiling fan in a room and went to call the police, saying Joy killed herself.

“There are marks all over my late sister’s body to prove she was murdered. All I want is for the police to investigate this mater, and give us justice. We need justice.”

A detective at the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence (SCIID), Yaba, on condition of anonymity, suggested that hanging may be constructive.

The detective said: “We are suspecting murder, the deceased had marks of violence all over her body. Mrs. Fortune had beaten the deceased with cane and the marks were there. But, only an autopsy will tell the actual cause of death.”

Also confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Elkana Bala, stated that the couple had been arrested by the police and are currently in custody, pending the outcome of investigation.