Stanley Ihedigbo
When angry Mrs. Josephine (37) poured hot water on her neighbour,
Mrs. Blessing Christopher, (33), for allegedly greeting her husband, everyone
had been incensed.
But days later after the incident, co-tenants in the compound
where Josephine live with her police husband, Mr. Tiyiose, have described her
as troublesome, stressing that the dousing of Blessing with hot water, was the
height.
Blessing, a worker with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority
(LAWMA), incurred the wrath of Josephine on 26th March night at
Agbotikuyo, Agege area of Lagos State.
A neighbour, who refused to give his name, said that avoiding
Josephine was the beginning of wisdom and peace in the compound.
The neighbour added: “the woman is like a tiger roaring and
searching for a prey to devour. If you want peace in this compound, you better
avoid Iyawo-Olopa. Her husband is a policeman and because of that, nobody is
somebody in this compound. Many people have left this house because of the
woman and her husband. Her husband is not even helping matters. If there’s an
issue with any tenant in the compound, and the person reports to her husband, the
man will mock you right before his wife.”
The neighbour further said: “Her husband has been boasting in the compound,
saying that he has money and was ready to make case. Not too long ago, the
couple fought a neighbour and the husband said if the matter was taken to
station; it would only cost him money.”
Among Josephine’s alleged crime in the compound, was her mockery
of women searching for the fruit of the womb.
Blessing, recounting the event of that fateful night, explained
that she was preparing dinner in kitchen, when the policeman walked into the
kitchen. It was the policeman that first greeted Blessing and she responded.
Immediately Blessing responded, Josephine rushed out to
confront her.
Blessing recalled: “She warned me never to greet her husband. She
said that if I tried it again, she would deal with me. I asked when it has
become a crime to respond to greetings. She said that I should wait for her. I
continued with my cooking. A few minutes later, I saw her with a pot; she hurried
towards me. Her husband tried to block me from reaching me, but she went behind
me and poured hot water on my back.”
Blessing, who was writhing in pain, was in bed when our
correspondent went to speak with her. She added: “Since she poured hot water on
me, I have been in pains. The worst situation is that my husband and I don’t
have enough money to pay for my medical treatment. I don’t know what I did to
that woman. We don’t even have any issue. We are just four months old in the
compound. We later heard that most tenants that had moved out of the compound,
left because of the woman’s troublesome nature.”
Blessing said that since Josephine poured hot water on her, she
had not been able to take care of her twins. The twins are just two years old.
Her husband was forced to stop going to work in order to mind the kids.
The victim’s husband, Onah, said that the day the incident happened;
he was called back from his place of work.
Onah said: “When I got the call, I rushed home and took my wife to
a nearby hospital. I later went to police station. Police gave me a note to
take my wife to general hospital for treatment. The hospital collected over
N100, 000. I borrowed from friends and relations to treat my wife. I am
appealing to good Nigerians to assist me. I cannot go to work again, because I’m
taking care of my wife and children at home.
“I asked other neighbours to tell me what really went wrong
between my wife and Josephine. Neighbours said that they saw my wife exchanging
words with the woman. And before one could say Jack Robison, Josephine ran into
her apartment, brought out hot water and poured it on my wife. I leant that her
husband was there when the incident happened.”
Josephine was also alleged to have, sometimes ago, hit the head of
another man in the compound identified as Mr. Emmanuel Ucheonye (51) with iron,
landing him in hospital.
Ucheonye noted that one fateful day, the [policeman slapped him
twice, while the wife broke his head.
Recollecting the event of that day, Ucheonye said: “I was at my
work place when my wife called that Josephine was threatening to beat her up. I
returned home. I went to the woman in an attempt to find what the trouble was
between her and my wife. The husband suddenly came behind me and gave me two
hot slaps, while the wife hit me with an iron and I fainted. I woke up in
hospital the next day. I went to police station to report and nothing was done
about the matter. Since then, everyone in this compound had been avoiding
them.”
When our correspondent went to Tiyiose to hear his story
concerning allegations made against him and his wife, the policeman insisted
that the correspondent must first down his full names and office address in a
paper. He demanded to know how much the other tenants paid the journalist to
write the story of him and his wife terrorizing their fellow tenants.
According to him, what happened between his wife and Blessing,
leading to his wife dousing Blessing with hot water was nothing but a mere
misunderstanding.
He said: “What if the other woman had used dagger to kill my
wife? I didn’t know my wife will pour the woman hot water. Do you know that
women are too jealous? When men go to work, they will be at home fighting each
other out of jealous.”
He declined to give the correspondent his full names or phone
number, but told the journalist to go home.
He added: “My brother go home and take care of your family.
We don’t like people to die. I will call you as you give me your number.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Bala Elkana, confirmed that
Josephine doused Blessing with hot water, adding that she had been arrested.
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