Man kills 3-yr-old daughter over food

Tragedy struck in Lagos on Wednesday as a three-year- old-girl, Oluwayemisi Gbolahan, was beaten to death by her own father, Babatunde Gbolahan. Saturday Tribune investigation gathered that the incident occurred at No 9, Olaniyi Street, in Idi-Oro area of Mushin in the state.

The 28-year-old suspect, confirmed to be an auto-mechanic, was said to have been separated from the mother of the deceased little girl and her almost one year old younger sister, following his alleged inabilities to take care of his wife and the two children.

No sooner had the suspect and his wife parted ways than he was said to have taken custody of the deceased Oluwayemisi and her younger sister, though against counselling of his relatives and neighbours some few weeks ago.

Further checks, however, revealed that trouble began for him towards late evening on Wednesday, on his return from work, after he discovered that Oluwayemisi and her younger sister had allegedly poured kerosene on the only raw food (gari, rice and beans) he had at home while they were left at home playing.

An insider police source at the Homicide Section of the Lagos State Criminal Investigation Department (C.I.D), Panti, Yaba, informed, on Friday, that Babatunde returned home an unhappy man on the fateful evening following low patronage by his customers at his workshop because of the heavy rainfall on that day.

The source, who begged not to be quoted, noted that the suspect was said to have been enraged at the discovery that the foodstuff had been destroyed by the kerosene and in a fit of anger, decended on the victim, thereby leading to her death.

The source further revealed that the suspect, who allegedly claimed to be an orphan during investigation by the police, allegedly beat the girl into a state of coma. It was further learnt that his co-tenants had earlier pleaded with him to spare the little girl because of her fragile nature, apparently occasioned by poor feeding.

Meanwhile, in a brief encounter with the Saturday Tribune, Babatunde Gbolahan said “I don’t know where to start from, except that I did not mean to kill my own daughter.”

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State police command, Mr. Frank Mba, said that the remains of the deceased had been deposited at the mortuary of Isolo General Hospital, while the second child of the suspect had also been taken to a safe place (names withheld) by the police.

He said that the suspect would be arraigned and charged for murder in a court as soon as the police concluded its investigation on the matter.