Man Locks 2 Children Inside Water Drum For Eating Neighbour’s Food

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Police operatives from Ipaja Division in Lagos have rescued two children reportedly locked inside an empty water drum by their father for eating a neighbour’s food having been starved and locked inside the house for the whole day.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at Lawani Ode Palace, Oke Odo area of New London Estate, Baruwa, Ipaja, where the father, Martins Omotoyosi, resides with the two victims, Dorca, 8 and Oreofe 6.

The suspect, Martins Omotoyosi, who is now in Police net, was said to have been married to the victims’ mother, who left seven years ago over constant beating and he started living with them.

However, he reportedly transferred the beating habit to the victims and was said to have constantly tortured them before they were eventually rescued.

This was confirmed by the residents, who narrated what happened when P.M.EXPRESS reporter visited the area and explained that it was not the first time Martins was torturing the victims.

One of the residents and Baale’s representative, Shakiru Lawal, stated he received a call that the suspect, Martin Omotoyosi, was torturing the victims as he used to do but have gone beyond that by putting them inside a drum in order to kill them.

He said he and others residents then mobilized and went to the house in order to rescue the victims. But in the process, the Police, who had already gotten information about what happened, went to the place and eventually rescued the victims before arresting Martin Omotoyosi. He was then detained at the Station for interrogation over the dastardly act.

The landlord of the house, where Martin Omotoyosi resides, Victor Adeoye, said he locked them inside his apartment and left without any food from morning till evening until when one of the neighbours took food to them to eat.

When he returned and asked them what they ate, the victims told him that their neighbour brought food for them because they had not eaten anything since morning. He was said to have become angry that they collected food from their neighbour. He then started beating and torturing them to the extent he put them inside a drum, which attracted the anger of the residents, who went after him before the Police intervene and arrested him.

When P.M.EXPRESS correspondent visited Ipaja Police Division, the DPO, CSP Tokumbo Aboniwonda, was said to have gone for routine monitoring of the area. But Police sources confirmed the incident and said that the DPO has transferred the matter to the Gender Unit of the Lagos State Command for more investigation.

We also gathered at the Command, the victims will be taken to the Welfare Department for care, which means Martins Omotoyosi may have lost the right over the children because of the abuses.