POLICE are interrogating a Lagos couple and could charge them with manslaughter or murder after they beat their 12-year old son to death for complaining to them that he was hungry. In a bizarre development, Paul Obiefule and his wife beat their son, Onyedikachi Mbanozo Obiefule, to death after he complained about being hungry yesterday. Apparently,
the couple beat the youngster to death at their home, located at 22, Omitola Street, Agege in Lagos at about 2.30 pm on Children’s Day eve. Ngozi Braide, the spokeswoman for the Lagos State Police Command, confirmed the incident, adding that an investigation was ongoing. She added that Mr Obiefule and his wife were already in police custody, undergoing interrogation. Apparently, this is not the first time Onyedikachi had been beaten badly for complaining to his parents. One of the couple’s neighbours, Mukaila Maliki, alleged that the boy had, in the past, been beaten to a state of coma and had to be hospitalised for a month. According to one eyewitness, Mr Obiefule took Onyedikachi to hospital for treatment after the boy fainted, due to excessive beatings he received. However, the next morning suspicious neighbours, who were not satisfied about the answers given to them about the whereabouts of the little boy, confronted Mr Obiefule’s wife and when they found out what happened, they alerted the police. When the police got to the home of the Obiefules, the corpse of Onyedikachi was allegedly discovered under the bed. There and then, policemen arrested the couple and took them and the corpse to the station. In another incident on Monday this week, one Mr Bright beat his son to death with an iron belt for allegedly stealing N1, 000 (£3,67). This incident, which happened at 6, Olarenwaju Street, Oregun, Ikeja, also in Lagos, is also being investigated by the police.
