Two brothers torture, rape housemaid

A 23-year-old housemaid, Comfort Ashati,
has told the Ebute Meta Magistrate's Court
how two brothers overpowered, tortured and
raped her at their house in Isheri area of
Lagos State.
Ashati said the brothers, Tony and
Emmanuel, who are in their 30s, lived in the
same building with their father, Mr. Williams
Ibiaji, who employed her shortly after the
death of their mother.
She said the men barged into her room,
assaulted, and tore her panties before raping
her in May 2012.
She said, "I started working for Mr. Williams
(Ibiaji) through an agent who took me to
their house when I was looking for a job. He
needed a housemaid because he had just lost
his wife.
"However, his sons – Tony and Emmanuel-
did not like me. They said I should leave the
house, but their father told me to ignore
them since he was the one that employed
me.
"I had been staying there for almost two
years when the incident happened. On that
day, the two of them entered my room and
began to beat me. They also tore my clothes.
I could not fight them off because they were
too big. That was how I was beaten up and
raped by the two of them."
Ashati told the court that she later managed
to run into the room of a couple who gave
her clothes.
She said, "They also came into the house.
The man begged them to leave me, but
because one of them had a knife, they
entered and continued beating me. I later
escaped by jumping a fence to another
building."
The victim also alleged that the men later
went to her room, where they stole her
N84,000.
However, while being cross-examined, the
defendant's lawyer, Mr. Loius Nwaugbala,
said the housemaid made up the story.
Nwagbala said, "I put it to you, that nobody
raped, beat, or messed you up. All these are
mere fabrications by you."
The Investigating Police Officer, Sergeant
Bakare Murtala, from the State Criminal
Investigation Department, Yaba, told the
court that he was informed that Ashati had
been invited to a peace meeting by the Ibiaji
family to resolve the matter. She was said to
have demanded N500,000 as compensation.
He said he did not visit the scene of the
crime but took the statements of all parties.
The prosecutor, Mr. Richard Odige, told the
court that three more witnesses were still on
the standby, including a medical
practitioner, who would give evidence on the
alleged rape.
The magistrate, Ms S.O Solabo, adjourned
the case till September 11

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