An Ikeja Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Court on Thursday handed down a 15-year prison sentence to both Edidiong Edem, a painter, and Alex Effiong-Etim, a mechanic.
Their conviction stems from the tragic death of their brother’s 12-year-old housemaid, whom they had flogged.
Justice Abiola Soladoye delivered the sentences to Edem, 22, and Etim, 21, after they agreed to a plea bargain on an amended one-count charge of involuntary manslaughter.
Consequently, the judge found the duo guilty and sentenced each to 15 years in prison.
The court determined that the convicts had used a broom to flog the deceased, an act that ultimately led to her death.
Soladoye further ruled that the sentences would commence from the date they were initially remanded in the correctional center.
Initially, the convicts were brought before the court on February 25, 2022, where they pleaded not guilty. However, they later opted for a plea bargain, dated February 25, which resulted in the amended charge.
Earlier in the proceedings, the prosecution informed the court that the offense occurred in January 2022 at Military Estate, Eleko, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
Ms. Oluwaseun Adewoye, the State Counsel, presented that the convicts had recklessly flogged the deceased on her legs with a broom. These injuries subsequently became infected with tetanus, leading to her untimely death.
According to the prosecution, the offense contravenes Section 224 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015
