4-year old Girl Brutalised by her Step-grandmother for Urinating on Prayer Mat in Ogun

The Ogun state police command has launched a manhunt for one Ayinke, 47, aka Iya Adijat, who allegedly brutalised her 4-year old step grandchild, Risikat Fayomi for urinating on her prayer mat.

PUNCH reports that after beating her, the suspect locked her up in a room in their apartment  on Canaan Land Estate in the Matogun area of Ogun State.

A community leader, Adewunmi Oyebode said that an herbalist in the area heard the groaning of the toddler and raised alarm.

“The girl is not staying with her parents. Her mother abandoned her with the father when she was barely one year old. Since the girl’s father did not have a stable job, he in turn took her to the grandfather.

The young man’s mother is dead and his father has a second wife, who we all call Iya Adijat (Ayinke). Iya Adijat is her step grandmother. The woman had been maltreating her.

Whenever she went for Arabic class and they close at 6pm, she would not want to return home. If you tell her to go home, she would start crying.

I learnt that the step grandmother had instructed that whenever they were observing the Islamic prayers, nobody should leave the prayer mat.

So, the girl became pressed and since she could not leave the mat, she urinated on the mat. After the prayer, she descended on her,” Oyebode said.

Residents tried to gain access into the room but their efforts failed as the doors and windows were locked. Police officers from Ajuwon Division later broke down the door to rescue the victim.

“We called the police and they broke down the door and rescued the child. We discovered that her hands and a leg had been fractured. There were stripe marks on her body. When we were taking her to the hospital on a motorcycle, she was groaning with pain,” Oyebode added.

She was taken to a private hospital in the area, Tamara Medical Centre, where she received treatment.

According to a medical officer at the facility:

She was brought here by the police and people of the community. Then, she was in serious pains and could not walk or talk. Her back, hands and legs were swollen.

We commenced treatment immediately and after an X-ray, we discovered that she had fractures. It took three days to get the pains to subside. Despite that, she still feels a lot of pain when you touch the arm and leg.

We have decided to transfer her to the National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, in Lagos. Since she was brought here on March 3, we have been spending our money to treat her.

It was reported that since she regained her strength, the victim has been singing: “Mo dupe mo fiyin foluwa; a o tori mi raja lowo baba oniposi; mo dope mo fiyin foluwa (I give praise to God that nobody patronised the coffin dealer because of me).”

According to a nurse at the hospital, Risikat also suffered malnutrition. The nurse added that the hospital has been footing the bills of the victim.

“Whenever we asked her if she would return home, she would start crying and begging that she did not want to go back home,” the nurse added.

 

The community leader said that the hospital is waiting for the victim’s N30,000 bill before referring her to National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi.

The victim’s father, Abass, a 25-year old tipper driver visited her at the hospital last Friday.

Speaking to PUNCH, the victim’s grandfather, Abiodun, said he had divorced Ayinke and they are not living together.

“Abass took the child to Iya Adijat because they live in the same neighbourhood. Everything is still a mystery to me,” he added.

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Oyeyemi, also confirmed the incident, adding that investigation is ongoing.