A 36-year-old mother of four, Mrs Opeyemi Omoyemi, was yesterday sentenced to four and half years in prison for brutalising and inflicting body injuries on his 12-year-old househelp, Joel Sunday, for stealing a piece of meat.

A Magistrate’s Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital sentenced Owoyemi following her arraignment on a five-count charge.

Omoyemi, a widow, was sentenced to three and half years imprisonment with hard labour on count one charge bordering on grievous harm, while she bagged one-year imprisonment on count five.

The defendant was said to have used a stick and razor blade to inflict multiple injuries on the body of the househelp, who she accused of stealing pieces of meat from her pot of soup.

Omoyemi, according to the police prosecutor, Emmanuel Tanimowo, was said to have committed the offence on February 6, 2022, at her residence, Idimango Adewale axis of Ondo road, Akure.

Tanimowo, during the trial, applied for the withdrawal of count four, which was granted by the Magistrate, Mrs O.A Edwin.

The defence counsel, Folusho Kayode, who pleaded with the court to be lenient with the defendant said the defendant was a first time offender.

According to him, “the court should be lenient in passing sentence on the defendant. The prayer for leniency is that the defendant has been the one solely responsible for the well-being and education of the 12-year-old Sunday. She has been doing this dutifully for the past four years since the death of her husband.

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“The defendant has kids and they have been crying since the incident happened as they could not see their mother.”

Delivering judgement, the trial magistrate said the sentence will run concurrently.

Magistrate Edwin added: “I know that the defendant is a first-time offender but the facts of the offences are not only an abuse on the victim but an offence against public policy. The sentence will deter others and also ensure that justice is done to the victim.”

Edwin has also adjourned the case to April 13, 2022, for trial in count three of the charge bothering on trafficking in persons which the defendant had pleaded not guilty.

Children left Kebbi over insecurity – Father

The father of the victims, Danladi Yahi, said he handed over the kids to a pastor in Kebbi State who promised to help send them to school in the South-West because of insecurity occasioned by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Yahi said he was disturbed to find out that his children were turned to househelps in Akure

According to him “We ran away from death in Kebbi State by allowing the children to come down south only for them to be subjected to maltreatment, which almost resulted to terminating their lives.

Justice served, such cruelty won’t be tolerated in Ondo —Akeredolu’s wife

Speaking on the court verdict, wife of Ondo State governor, Betty Anyanwu-Akeredolu, expressed delight that justice has been served.

Akeredolu, who decried maltreatment of househelps by people in the society, said such would not be tolerated in the state and that culprits would be brought to book not minding their status in the state.

The wife of the governor asked the state police command to track down the pastor who handed over the victim to the convict as a househelp.