By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
A teenage girl, Aisha (other name withheld) accused of allegedly killing her ex-boyfriend one Emmanuel and four others with poisoned pepper soup has been cleared of accusation.
Recall that the incident happened in Afashio community in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
Edo State Police Command had detained the 16-year-old girl, Aisha, for such a terrible act.
The incident was reported on October 26, 2024, when Emmanuel’s father, Mr Elogie Ezekiel, arrived at his son’s apartment around 6:30am that day and saw some lifeless bodies in the house.
Ezekiel reportedly found the body of a young man, Nurudeen, in the corridor.
Moving further into the apartment, he discovered Emmanuel, 19, and his girlfriend, identified as Ada Samuel, also 16, lying lifeless on the bedroom bed.
Two other friends of Emmanuel, Samuel and Jeffrey Ayegwalo, both siblings, were found unresponsive in the sitting room.
All five were immediately transported to the hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead on arrival.
Some sources in the area noted that the victims had just consumed a pot of pepper soup prepared by Aisha for the five friends.
The investigation took a significant turn three days later when police received a report that Aisha, who was alleged to have poisoned the victims, was about to be lynched by a group of young men from the community.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Moses Yamu, said that police officers from the Jattu Division were quickly mobilised to the scene who intervened and transported her safely to the station.
“The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department to conduct a thorough investigation,” Yamu added.
The then Commissioner of Police, CP Umoru Ozigi, ordered a detailed investigation, instructing officers to pursue every possible lead to determine the true cause of death in the case.
He also warned against any form of mob action, urging the community to allow the police to carry out their duties. CP Ozigi reassured the public that justice would be pursued diligently.
However, in a twist of fate, the girl was found to be innocent. The autopsy report found that they all died from generator fume.
Newstracktoday, while quoting a video making the rounds on X, captures Independent Television (ITV) seeing the girl’s lawyer and human rights activist, Roy Oribhabor, all saying that the girl was innocent of the accusation.
The girl herself speaking on her freedom and innocence, insisted that she had no hand in their demise.
According to the girl, the rumour of her poisoning her boyfriend was ignited by a friend to Emmanuel: “The boy that died, his best friend once posted me, and my friend screenshot it, showing me that he had placed a N500,000 bounty on me, accusing me of poisoning them.
“While heading to the police station to report , the same guy and his friends blocked the road, threatening to kill me, claiming I was the one who cooked the pepper soup.”
She said her ordeal and the events leading up to her wrongful accusation in the video.
An activist involved in the investigation also shared his findings, stating: “Because of her age, she wasn’t taken to prison but was instead remanded in welfare.
One of the victim’s fathers even confirmed she never came to the late Emmanuel’s house that day.
