The victim’s father, a farmer, had reportedly handed her over to Bose’s husband, a relation, a year ago.
The woman reportedly brutalised the Junior Secondary School two pupil of Mende Junior High School for allegedly taunting her about her childlessness. The 13-year-old was rescued by residents of Ajose Street, Mende, Maryland, where she ran to.
One of those who rescued her, Wasiu Ismail, an aluminium fabricator, said the victim was found around 6.30am on Friday on the street.
He said, “Around 6.30am on Friday, an elderly man who lives on this street brought the girl. He said he saw her with blood all over her body. “When I queried her, she said her guardian’s wife maltreated her every day and it was when it became unbearable that she decided to run away from the house.”
Ismail said when the victim was queried on the reason for her being beaten, she claimed that she had washed some clothes the previous day.According to him, the 13 year-old said she had gone to remove the clothes from the line but some of them had yet to dry up.Bose, on discovering that
some of the clothes were still wet, allegedly became angry and brutalised the victim.
“I asked if she wanted to go
back, but she said she could not because the woman, who she called her aunt, would kill her,” he added. Bose later arrived on the street in a car with some men and attempted to take the victim away, but was resisted by the residents.
The guardian was alleged to have further brought a policeman from the Anthony division, where she had reported a case of a missing person.
A student, Suleiman Habeeb, said they refused to release the teenager because
they feared she might be returned to the guardian.He said, “He said, “Her version of the story was a bit different. She said the girl abused her that she was a witch and that was why she had not conceived.