A Chief Magistrates’ Court sitting in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Tuesday remanded Elizabeth Akinola for allegedly torturing her daughter to death.
Akinola, with her husband, Felix Babalola, had in August reportedly maltreated their four-year-old child named Testimony, leading to her death. She was said to have taken the child to the Ondo State Specialist Hospital and absconded when her death was confirmed.
Newsafresh.com gathered that the couple maltreated their daughter whom they labelled a witch and inflicted body injuries on her.
The 37-year-old suspect was later arrested by the police in Ikare-Akoko after efforts by the Ondo State Nigerian Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) to locate the couple’s church. However, her husband is still at large.
Akinola was arraigned on a two-count charge bordering on murder and physical assault of her daughter. The incident happened at Iro area of Akure.
Police prosecutor, Abdul-Lateef Sulaiman, told the court that he was filing a seven paragraph motion of notice on the murder case.
He said the offence committed by the woman was punishable under section 357 of the criminal code cap 37 vol.1, Laws of the Ondo State of Nigeria 2006.
He, however, prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody.
But counsel to the defendant, Israel Balogun, argued against the application of the prosecutor asking for the remand of the defendant in prison custody.
Chief Magistrate Victoria Bob-Manuel ordered the remand of Akinola in prison custody pending the outcome of advice from the office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
She adjourned the case until October 9, 2019.