Justice Oyindamola Ogala of the Lagos State High Court in Ikeja has jailed a couple, Fortune and Steve Nwankwo, 16 years for killing their housemaid.
They were convicted on Thursday for the involuntary manslaughter of their 19-year-old maid, Joy Adole.
While delivering judgment yesterday in suit no ID/13178C/20, Justice Ogala held that the prosecution had proved the charge of manslaughter, conspiracy and attempt to pervert justice and misconduct as regards the death of their maid in their house at Bariga, Lagos State.
Justice Ogala told the court that the housemaid died due to the beating by Fortune (first defendant). “The first defendant beat the deceased which caused her death as she had not been feeling well prior to the incident.
“The defendants did not inform or call the family of the deceased from 5 am when they found out she had died until noon when the second defendant called the sister of the deceased and asked for her full name and other personal information so as to enable them to embalm her in the morgue.
“The second defendant, having found out that the first defendant had killed the deceased due to the beating, assisted her in perverting the course of justice by hanging the body with a rope.
“There were three adults in the house: the defendants and the housemaid. The defendants were the last two adults that got in contact with the housemaid before her death.