The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has confirmed the arrest of the elder brother of a lady identified as Abigail Chris who cried out on the microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) against the series of assault she suffered from her brother.
This was contained in a response sent to PUNCH Metro by the spokesperson for the agency, Joke Ladenegan-Oginni, and received by our correspondent on Thursday.
An X user identified as @Ayomiepat_, had, on Monday, shared some posts and pictures revealing the physical and mental state of Abigail, stating that the victim needed an urgent help and called on the authorities to intervene.
Part of the post read, “This girl is facing physical abuse from her brother. She’s in dire need of help. This happened because she refused to live in the apartment their father rented for them. Her reason for not wanting to live with him is his violent behaviour which is valid. This is the second time this has happened that I know of.”
It was gathered that Abigail had been suffering physical assault in the hands of the elder brother since 2014.
It was learnt that the most recent experience Abigail suffered was on December 21, 2023, after which she decided to call for help and alert the relevant authorities.
Pictures which circulated online and observed by our correspondent showed that Abigail had suffered a cut in her upper left eye and bruises in other parts of her body as a result of the recent beating.
A note written by Abigail dated December 21, 2023, which was said to have been written after her brother assaulted her that day was obtained
The note partly read, “I wish I had not been born or probably not born in our family. Maybe I won’t have Emmanuel as a brother and just be me. I just wish my next year will be better since I’m going to cut them off, and I just hope they don’t find a means to find me and make my life miserable again.”
The X user also alleged that Abigail’s family had been trying to cover up the atrocities of the brother since the abuse started.
In a voice recording, the lady was heard talking to a male voice suspected to be that of the eldest brother.
“Is it until I die? In 2014, Emmanuel broke my hand. He beat me and I fainted in 2016. There was another incident in 2022 and now another one has happened. Is it until I die?” She said.
The male voice was heard threatening the victim not to report to the authorities or reveal her ordeals. The male voice further told her that he should tell the authorities that the perpetrator had run away.
“Do not try it. In your statement, say he has run away,” the male voice said.
Another user identified as @Orioninc_ng, who confirmed the incident, said Abigail was also beaten by the landlord of the house they lived in 2023.
“Even last year, the landlord of that house beat her and her younger cousin up, and still had the guts to arrest her because while he was beating her, she was trying to fight back. He called it disrespect.”
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson, Ladenegan-Oginni, said the agency received a report of the matter and that the perpetrator had been arrested.
She said, “The agency confirms that the case was received through our social media handle; a case of physical abuse towards one Ms Abigail perpetrated by her elder brother. A referral letter to Okokomaiko Police Station was immediately sent to the client for investigation and to ensure that justice is served. The agency received feedback that the perpetrator was arrested by 9am this morning (Wednesday), and he is currently in detention.”
Ladenegan-Oginni said investigation was ongoing on the case.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, did not pick calls nor respond to text messages sent to his phone line as of the time of filing this report.
On August 31, 2023, the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Mrs Titilayo Shitta-Bey, during a media parley for the commemoration of the Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness Month held at the Secretariat, Alausa, said the government received 5,624 cases of domestic and sexual violence between August 1, 2022 and July 31, 2023 with an average of 250 clients on a monthly basis.