A woman's deadly last journey from work in Buhari's Nigeria
October 18 2015 By Abi Giwa
Isn't it an intolerable sense of insecurity for people to think that they are not sure of returning home after they leave home or work? This is a difficult question that members of two families in Nigeria and their neighbors are trying to answer, as they ponder on what may have led to the killing of Hannah Omomole,28, at Owode Onirin, near Ikorodu in Lagos, Nigeria, on Tuesday 13 October 2015, on her way from work.
"I found that an area of her anus has been sewed together to the vagina area. Mortuary attendants confirmed that they sewed that parts of her body, because it was torn when she was brought in and that they could not have allowed her body in with that area of her body torn apart," Osharnor Omomole said about what he said he saw, and was told by mortuary attendants, about his sister's remains.
Osharnor said that the police had initially said that Hannah was a victim of a motor accident. But Osharnor said he had disputed the police statement that Hannah was a motor accident victim, because he said the police had said the information was based on an eye witness account and not that they knew of the accident. He said that mortuary attendants confirmed that they sewed that parts of her body, because it was torn when she was brought in, and that they could not have allowed her body in the mortuary with that area of her body apart.
According to him, what he saw of how the part of his sister's anus had been sewed to her vagina area prompted his question and disputation. The mortuary attendants led him to the doctor, whom the attendants said signed document that said Hannah was an accident victim, and that the doctor's signature describing her as an accident victim prompted the attendants to do the sewing of the private area before they could allowed her in the mortuary.
Asked about the doctor's name, Osharnor said that the doctor just signed the document and that the doctor's name was not on the document. "The doctor agreed he was the one who owned the signature, but his name was not on the document. When photographs of Hannah's body taken by the police was shown to the doctor, the doctor said the photo did not indicate that Hannah was a victim of a motor accident and apologized for signing the paper that had declared Hannah as a motor accident's victim." Osharnor said, and added that the doctor said his signing the paper that declared Hannah a motor accident victim was caused by the statement made by the police.
Before Osharnor's journey to the Ikorodu's General Hospital mortuary for the identification of Hannah's body, he said he had confronted the police at Owode Onirin station over the statement that Hannah was a victim of motor accident, based on what he said that he saw on the photo of Hannah's body that the police showed him. He said that in the course of his argument with Corporal Hammed (last name still to be ascertained), he said that the station's DPO, S.O Busari, also looked at the photograph and questioned Corporal Hammed about how he got the information that Hannah was a victim of motor accident. Corporal Hammed said that his information was based on an eye witness account, and upon which Osharnor said he requested the police to present the eye witness.
Before Osharnor's journey to the General Hospital in Ikorodu to identify the body in the morgue, Corporal Hammed had agreed to produce the eye witness on Monday, October 19. The police fulfilled the promise with the appearance of two men said to be security guards in a company opposite the place that Hannah's body was dumped by her assailants. The first of the two eye witnesses said a car arrived at the spot with a flat tyre; the two occupants changed the flat tyre and that they drove off without leaving any female body behind. The second eye witness maintained what he had earlier told the police that two vehicles brushed each other and a lady was thrown out of the vehicle, and that the person thrown off the vehicle was not seen on the floor, believing she had succeeded in getting up and gone, but shocked to later found a female body resting on the blocks in the morning.
The photograph of Hannah's body taken by the police, where the police said her body was discovered is a tell tale that Hannah must have been physically assaulted before she could be subdued by her assailants. The first photograph shows she is on her back placed resting on a set of blocks; there is a thick blackness on both sides of her eyes, part of her upper her lip is compressed and the black jeans' pant she wore torn in the thigh close to her private area. The hair on her head disheveled and she was shoeless.
"Glory Enikuomehin, an elder sister to the deceased said that a telephone call from the police alerted her that her sister had an accident and that she was receiving treatment at an hospital. But she said that when she arrived at the station, she was told that Osharnor and other family members were on their way to the mortuary. Already, Osharnor and some other relatives had been alerted by the police using the numbers found on the phone on Hannah's body, confirming that the police found her phone on her. "I and some other relatives who accompanied me, followed me and joined other relatives in the mortuary, and we confirmed it was Hannah's body that was in the mortuary. I saw Hannah, last (alive) on Wednesday, when she came to my house accompanied by her young fiancé."
Glory said that Hannah's co-workers who visited her house after they heard about what happened to Hannah confirmed they both left work together and that two of them who traveled with Hannah to Ketu left Hannah after they boarded a bus, while Hannah waited for a bus that will take her to Ikorodu. Based on Glory's statement, Hannah had left her place of work with two of her co-workers. She waited at Ketu for a bus, while her co-workers had continued on their journey. Oshornor said that Hannah's phone log showed she withdrew about N1000 from an ATM in Ketu between 0730 and 0800 pm. He said that the police reportedly found about N750 on her. Whatever may have happened in the course of Hannah's journey between Ketu and Ikorodu, which led to her body laying on a set of blocks at Owode Onirin, a small settlement between Ketu and Ikorodu is the mystery the police is currently working to resolve.
The first photograph shows she is on her back resting on a set of blocks. there is widespread blackness on both sides of her eyes, part of upper her lip reduced and the black pant she wore torn in the thigh close to her private area. The photograph is a tell tale of probable force used in attempt to subdue her.
A telephone number that appears on the set of block on which Ann's body rested in the photograph was contacted in an effort to find out whether the owner of the number knows anything about an accident in that area on the day in topic, but the phone was in switch off mode. The Lagos State Police Command Public relations' office is yet to respond to a text message enquiry about the mystery surrounding Ann's last journey from work. The question remains whether Ann was indeed an accident victim as the police had said or whether she was a victim of ritual murder as family members have suspected.
Ann was a hard working young woman, who like many young Nigerians from poor background, who had chosen a path of helping themselves, was almost at the point of Eureka as a hair stylist. She lived in Ikorodu and worked in Gbagada. She left home for work, and was returning home on the seventh day as she had done every week and known to her family and neighbors. But she could not make it back home like many others before her, who had been cut down in their prime due to widening insecurity.
Was she ambushed by someone who knew about her time of travel or did she board a vehicle operated by men with evil intentions? Or could her ordeal be traced to a love affair, which members of her family and neighbors said she recently abandoned, and how could this be linked to the tearing apart of her private area? Members of the family who went to the mortuary said the murder must have been a painstaking job; they said that after doing whatever they wanted in Hannah's private area, they put back her pant, probably sprayed her with perfume and the odor of the perfume was still on her clothes collected back home by to the house by family members.
"I found that an area of her anus has been sewed together to the vagina area. Mortuary attendants confirmed that they sewed that parts of her body, because it was torn when she was brought in and that they could not have allowed her body in with that area of her body torn apart," Osharnor Omomole said about what he said he saw, and was told by mortuary attendants, about his sister's remains.
Osharnor said that the police had initially said that Hannah was a victim of a motor accident. But Osharnor said he had disputed the police statement that Hannah was a motor accident victim, because he said the police had said the information was based on an eye witness account and not that they knew of the accident. He said that mortuary attendants confirmed that they sewed that parts of her body, because it was torn when she was brought in, and that they could not have allowed her body in the mortuary with that area of her body apart.
According to him, what he saw of how the part of his sister's anus had been sewed to her vagina area prompted his question and disputation. The mortuary attendants led him to the doctor, whom the attendants said signed document that said Hannah was an accident victim, and that the doctor's signature describing her as an accident victim prompted the attendants to do the sewing of the private area before they could allowed her in the mortuary.
Asked about the doctor's name, Osharnor said that the doctor just signed the document and that the doctor's name was not on the document. "The doctor agreed he was the one who owned the signature, but his name was not on the document. When photographs of Hannah's body taken by the police was shown to the doctor, the doctor said the photo did not indicate that Hannah was a victim of a motor accident and apologized for signing the paper that had declared Hannah as a motor accident's victim." Osharnor said, and added that the doctor said his signing the paper that declared Hannah a motor accident victim was caused by the statement made by the police.
Before Osharnor's journey to the Ikorodu's General Hospital mortuary for the identification of Hannah's body, he said he had confronted the police at Owode Onirin station over the statement that Hannah was a victim of motor accident, based on what he said that he saw on the photo of Hannah's body that the police showed him. He said that in the course of his argument with Corporal Hammed (last name still to be ascertained), he said that the station's DPO, S.O Busari, also looked at the photograph and questioned Corporal Hammed about how he got the information that Hannah was a victim of motor accident. Corporal Hammed said that his information was based on an eye witness account, and upon which Osharnor said he requested the police to present the eye witness.
Before Osharnor's journey to the General Hospital in Ikorodu to identify the body in the morgue, Corporal Hammed had agreed to produce the eye witness on Monday, October 19. The police fulfilled the promise with the appearance of two men said to be security guards in a company opposite the place that Hannah's body was dumped by her assailants. The first of the two eye witnesses said a car arrived at the spot with a flat tyre; the two occupants changed the flat tyre and that they drove off without leaving any female body behind. The second eye witness maintained what he had earlier told the police that two vehicles brushed each other and a lady was thrown out of the vehicle, and that the person thrown off the vehicle was not seen on the floor, believing she had succeeded in getting up and gone, but shocked to later found a female body resting on the blocks in the morning.
The photograph of Hannah's body taken by the police, where the police said her body was discovered is a tell tale that Hannah must have been physically assaulted before she could be subdued by her assailants. The first photograph shows she is on her back placed resting on a set of blocks; there is a thick blackness on both sides of her eyes, part of her upper her lip is compressed and the black jeans' pant she wore torn in the thigh close to her private area. The hair on her head disheveled and she was shoeless.
"Glory Enikuomehin, an elder sister to the deceased said that a telephone call from the police alerted her that her sister had an accident and that she was receiving treatment at an hospital. But she said that when she arrived at the station, she was told that Osharnor and other family members were on their way to the mortuary. Already, Osharnor and some other relatives had been alerted by the police using the numbers found on the phone on Hannah's body, confirming that the police found her phone on her. "I and some other relatives who accompanied me, followed me and joined other relatives in the mortuary, and we confirmed it was Hannah's body that was in the mortuary. I saw Hannah, last (alive) on Wednesday, when she came to my house accompanied by her young fiancé."
Glory said that Hannah's co-workers who visited her house after they heard about what happened to Hannah confirmed they both left work together and that two of them who traveled with Hannah to Ketu left Hannah after they boarded a bus, while Hannah waited for a bus that will take her to Ikorodu. Based on Glory's statement, Hannah had left her place of work with two of her co-workers. She waited at Ketu for a bus, while her co-workers had continued on their journey. Oshornor said that Hannah's phone log showed she withdrew about N1000 from an ATM in Ketu between 0730 and 0800 pm. He said that the police reportedly found about N750 on her. Whatever may have happened in the course of Hannah's journey between Ketu and Ikorodu, which led to her body laying on a set of blocks at Owode Onirin, a small settlement between Ketu and Ikorodu is the mystery the police is currently working to resolve.
The first photograph shows she is on her back resting on a set of blocks. there is widespread blackness on both sides of her eyes, part of upper her lip reduced and the black pant she wore torn in the thigh close to her private area. The photograph is a tell tale of probable force used in attempt to subdue her.
A telephone number that appears on the set of block on which Ann's body rested in the photograph was contacted in an effort to find out whether the owner of the number knows anything about an accident in that area on the day in topic, but the phone was in switch off mode. The Lagos State Police Command Public relations' office is yet to respond to a text message enquiry about the mystery surrounding Ann's last journey from work. The question remains whether Ann was indeed an accident victim as the police had said or whether she was a victim of ritual murder as family members have suspected.
Ann was a hard working young woman, who like many young Nigerians from poor background, who had chosen a path of helping themselves, was almost at the point of Eureka as a hair stylist. She lived in Ikorodu and worked in Gbagada. She left home for work, and was returning home on the seventh day as she had done every week and known to her family and neighbors. But she could not make it back home like many others before her, who had been cut down in their prime due to widening insecurity.
Was she ambushed by someone who knew about her time of travel or did she board a vehicle operated by men with evil intentions? Or could her ordeal be traced to a love affair, which members of her family and neighbors said she recently abandoned, and how could this be linked to the tearing apart of her private area? Members of the family who went to the mortuary said the murder must have been a painstaking job; they said that after doing whatever they wanted in Hannah's private area, they put back her pant, probably sprayed her with perfume and the odor of the perfume was still on her clothes collected back home by to the house by family members.