The problem started when a 60 year-old widow and mother of six, Justina Ashijuru was ivolved in an argument with her neighbour over the latter’s six year old daughter, Uche who threatened to pour water on her on a Sunday evening, little did she know that the encounter would put her in trouble with a naval officer.The events that followed led to the alleged beating and torture of Justina as well as the shaving of her daughter, Udoka’s hair.
Speaking, the widow who says she is currently jobless recounted the two-day drama which has left her traumatised: “On that Sunday evening of November 22, 2015, I was outside, relaxing when my neighbour’s six year-old daughter, Uche, threatened to pour water on me. I was surprised and I thought it was a joke so I dismissed her with a wave of the hand. She later came back, threatening to carry out her earlier threat.
“I asked myself ‘how could a little child like this threaten to pour water on me?’ I laughed it off but she came back and repeated the threat and at that point, I felt I had to report the matter before it got out of hand.“I reported to the landlady and she too was surprised and encouraged me to discipline her. I said that when my daughter, Udoka, came around, I would tell her to discipline her. After this, I forgot about the whole matter and went outside again.”
Pandemonium started when a girl in her compound rushed to her, telling her to come to the backyard of their compound quickly. The widow said she dashed there but what she saw shocked the living day light out of her.From that point, Udoka, Justina’s daughter, continued the story: “When I came home I heard what happened and I went to the backyard and I saw Uche, the girl who had threatened my mum and I asked her, ‘why did you threaten to pour water on my mum?’ Uche started screaming mummy mummy! And her mum, who was in the bathroom heard and before I knew it, she ran out, grabbed my dress and started screaming and I asked, ‘what have I done to deserve this?’
She kept shouting that before talking to her daughter, my mum would have reported to her first. But I was like ‘why should my elderly mum come and report to you first? My mum has children even older than you.’ Before I knew it, she tore my dress and attacked me.“And then the noise attracted her daughter, Lauretta Adaeze Ihuoma, a naval personnel, who told her mum to let me go but she refused. So she had no choice but to support her mum and they began to abuse me and I replied.
“To compound issues, her brother, Ikechukwu, came in and shouted at me that I was addressing his sister rudely. He said he would instruct her to beat the hell out of me! And I was like ‘is your sister Governor Ambode’s daughter that I can’t talk to her?“We settled the matter eventually and they left but 10 minutes later, Adaeze came back and started abusing me and before I knew it, she punched me on the lips. I wanted to react but my mum held me back, begging me and that was how the case was settled. That day, my elder sister came to the house and called all of us and the matter was finally settled.”
Attacked again
If Udoka and her mum thought that the drama was all over based on the initial settlement, they were wrong. The next day Adaeze had a surprise for her.
“Around 4 pm, my mum and I were sitting outside discussing, I did not know that the Navy girl had reported me to her colleagues. Suddenly, and out of the blue appeared three hefty girls. They came into the compound and requested to see somebody so I innocently got up to direct them to the person’s house.
“Before I knew it, they seized my mum and started asking me questions. I said nothing and within a second, they started beating me. Then I saw Adaeze and another lady dressed in naval uniform joining them, and they all beat me, and dragged me with my hair.”
Udoka said that as they rained blows on her, her mum pleaded with her attackers to let her go but all her pleas fell on deaf ears: “My mum started pleading with them to let me go but they wouldn't listen. One of them kicked my mum violently with her military boots and she fell and a nail pierced her palm. They overpowered me and dragged me by the hair to the back of our house.“I taught they were going to settle everything but I was wrong. A guy from nowhere wearing mufti who identified himself as a naval officer joined them in beating me. They poured water on my body and instructed me to start rolling on the ground while they poured more water on me.
“Adaeze requested that they should buy her a blade and her mum sent somebody to get one. She boasted she would show me the stuff she was made of.They got the blade, held me down and took their turns to shave my hair. The boy who earlier introduced himself as a naval personnel said I should take off my clothes and start crawling. My mum resisted and the boy gave me another slap and they all started beating me again.”
However, after they had beaten her to pulp, they left with a terse warning that if they ever heard any complaint again, they would be back and make sure Udoka disappears and nobody will ever see her again, Udoka revealed.According to Udoka’s mum, after the beating, her daughter became unconscious because she sustained serious injuries and it took a while to revive her. Udoka was later rushed to the hospital where she spent two days before she was transferred to a General Hospital in Lagos.
In a telephone chat with Saturday Sun, the woman at the centre of the drama, naval personnel, Lauretta Adaeze Ihuoma, confirmed the incident. However, she described it as the handiwork of the devil.“My brother, this is the handiwork of the devil. Do you know that so far, my husband and I have spent over N50, 000 on their hospital bills and yet they don’t want us to settle? They are asking for N5m. How will I get that kind of money? They even boasted that all they want to achieve is to strip me of my uniform.
“The case was even reported at the police station and we hoped we would resolve it but they ran away. Right now, I am on hospital admission because I'm pregnant”, she narrated.On allegations that her mum was the agent provocateur, she said: “What happened was that it was a case of two fighting. Udoka used a stick to beat my six-year old sister.
My mum heard the shout and ran out and I saw her (Udoka), beating my mum. When I tried to intervene, she said she would make sure my pregnancy ends up a miscarriage. Udoka broke a bottle and chased me away.”On the other Naval personnel who joined her to beat Udoka, she said “I did not call anybody. Those guys were passing by on Okada and came to my assistance. I don’t know anything about her hair being shaved. I have admitted that I went too far but it is the devil’s handiwork.”
When contacted on the matter, Lagos State Police spokesman, Dolapo Badmus said that she was aware of the case and that it had been charged to court. However, attempts to get reactions from the Nigerian Navy were not successful.©: The SunNews
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