A maid, 16-year-old Hope Istifanu, reportedly killed a two-year-old baby girl, Somkenechukwu in Owerri, Imo State.
Hope, according to the report by The Nation, strangled Somkenechukwu to death when her victim’s mother, a petty trader, was at work in the market.
The paper said the deceased tot’s father was at home but was bedridden following an accident.
“When Somkenechukwu’s mother returned from the market, she saw the child lying on the bed. The maid told her that the little girl had eaten, bathed and slept off after running around the house. She didn’t suspect anything and decided to rest a little. However, when the baby did not wake up after four hours, she decided to wake her up.
“Efforts by the mother to wake up Somkenechukwu proved abortive, as she neither turned nor showed any sign of life. This prompted the mother to rush the baby to hospital, accompanied by the maid, where the baby was pronounced dead, showing signs of strangulation. That was when all eyes turned to the maid and after interrogation, she admitted to have committed the act, which she attributed to the devil,” it quoted a source as saying.
