MEN of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a 17-year old Beninoise woman Kwenume Ojo for allegedly poisoning her mentally challenged husband Jimoh Ojo who she was forced to marry against her wishes. 

In a tragedy that sounded fictional, Kwenume killed her husband in the Makoko area of Lagos where they live by poisoning his soft drink and forcing it down his throat while he slept. Apparently, she took the poison from a relative of her boyfriend after she was forced to marry Jimoh against her wishes. 

After the matter was reported, the suspect was arrested by policemen from the Adekunle Police Division. One of Jimoh’s relatives Rotimi Akinlagun, explained that the deceased was retarded, which made it difficult for him to get a wife but his marriage to Kwenume was arranged by the two families. 

Mr Akinlagun said: “Jimoh was a carpenter and when he was born, he fell sick and that affected his health as he became retarded. When he became mature, we decided to get him a wife, so we started asking around for anybody who could give him a wife. 

“Kwenume’s father heard and he contacted Jimoh’s family. He gave them Kwenume to become Jimoh’s wife and she had no choice in the matter.” 

Apparently, Kwenume’s father took the decision to prevent her from marrying her boyfriend, who he did not like. This dislike, it was gathered, stemmed from the maltreatment of Kwenume’s sister, who was married into the boyfriend’s family. 

“She was brought to me and we took her to Jimoh’s hometown in Yewa, Ogun State and after six months, she became pregnant and we brought her back to Lagos State. Their apartment was close to my house so I could monitor them and Kwenume was assisting my wife to sell food at her canteen,” Mr Akinlagun added. 

However, after giving birth to a baby girl, christened Hannah, the suspect became attracted to her former boyfriend and she started visiting him. She was said to have met his elder brother, Wensu, an herbalist, who allegedly gave her the poison to put in her husband’s drink so she could marry the boyfriend. 

After Jimoh was pronounced dead, some local youths attempted to lynch Kwenume but for the intervention of the policemen. The traditional ruler of the Egun community, Seriki Dito, urged the police to do a thorough investigation and punish the culprits and appealed to governmental and non-governmental organisations to assist in taking care of the couple’s child, Hannah.