Two Men Sentenced to 15 Years for Death of 12-Year-Old Housemaid

Two young men have been sentenced to prison after a court found them responsible for actions that led to the death of a 12-year-old girl. The ruling has once again drawn attention to the dangers of child abuse and the vulnerability of domestic workers.

An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court has sentenced two men to 15 years imprisonment each in connection with the death of a 12-year-old housemaid.

The Ikeja court housemaid death case was presided over by Justice Abiola Soladoye.

The convicts, Edidiong Edem, a 22-year-old painter, and Alex Effiong-Etim, a 21-year-old mechanic, were sentenced after entering a plea agreement on an amended charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Following the agreement, the court found both men guilty and handed down a 15-year prison sentence.

Justice Soladoye ruled that the sentence would begin from the date the men were first remanded in a correctional facility.

During proceedings in the Ikeja court housemaid death case, the court heard that the young girl was assaulted and repeatedly flogged with a broom.

Prosecutors explained that the injuries sustained during the punishment later developed into tetanus, which ultimately led to the child’s death.

Earlier in the trial, the defendants had pleaded not guilty to the initial charges when they first appeared in court on February 25, 2022.

However, the case later progressed through a plea bargain arrangement that resulted in the amended charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The prosecution, led by state counsel Oluwaseun Adewoye, told the court that the incident occurred in January 2022.

According to the prosecution, the events took place in the Military Estate area of Eleko in Lagos State.

Investigators told the court that the child suffered injuries after being flogged on the legs with a broom. These injuries later became infected and developed into tetanus, which caused her death.

Prosecutors argued that the actions of the defendants violated Section 224 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

After reviewing the evidence and the plea agreement, the court delivered its final judgment in the Ikeja court housemaid death case.