Five-year-old watches over mother’s corpse after killers left

Residents living around a hotel located at Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos State, where a prostitute was killed have started asking for the whereabouts of her five-year-old son.

Eye witness account said that people cried when they woke up in the morning and saw the boy watching over his mother’s corpse which had been dumped in the streets by unknown killers. He had apparently tried to shake her awake, but when there was no response, sat beside her.

Whether the boy knew his mother was dead or not, is what nobody could ascertain. An effort to get information from him was abortive.

When policemen from Bar Beach Police Station came to remove the woman’s corpse, identified simply as Joy, the boy had held onto his mother, crying, until he was allowed to go with her in the police van.

Police spokesman, Kenneth Nwosu who confirmed the murder of the woman, said he would get back to the journalist on the whereabouts of the boy. But as at press time, he was yet to do so.

He however said: “We’re investigating the cause of her death. We are also conducting autopsy on her because when our men visited the scene, blood was coming out of her ear and nose.”

The body of Joy was discovered on Monday, closed to Lagos State Chamber of Commerce, far from the brothel where she allegedly worked as a prostitute.

She had been stabbed at the left side of her armpit and back.

An eye witness said: “We saw the boy sitting beside her, watching helplessly. He was with her until police came. He went with the police and mother’s corpse.”

Another witness said: “Some mobile policemen guarding the Commerce House were the first to see the corpse and the boy and informed the management. The management invited police. The Divisional Police Officer in charge of Bar Beach Station led a police team to the scene. The woman was later evacuated from the area.”

One John said: “The woman was an easy going person. I saw her last on Sunday. She came to my saloon with her little boy to barb his hair. I was shocked to hear of her death this morning. I heard unknown assailants killed her at night. People said she was a prostitute, but I don’t know. I only know that she comes out only at night.”

Mrs. Hannah Kanu, a trader in area said: “The woman is a mother of two. She had not job. She only comes out at night, to hang around.  I was surprised to hear about her death.”