Housewife allegedly pours hot water on neighbor for greeting her husband

A 36 -year-old housewife, Josephine Omolu,  on Wednesday appeared in an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court for allegedly pouring hot water on a neighbor for greeting her husband.

The Police Prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police Clifford Ogu, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on March 26 at Agbotikuyo, Agege, Lagos.

He said that the defendant unlawfully scalded her neighbor, Mrs. Blessing Christopher with hot water.

Ogu alleged that the defendant attacked the complainant after she greeted her husband.

The prosecution said that the complainant is currently on admission being treated for burns.

The offence, he said, contravened Section 245 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015 which carries seven years imprisonment for causing grievous harm.

Omolu, who resides at Agege, Lagos, entered a not guilty plea to the one count of grievous harm leveled against her.

Magistrate Mr. J.A Adegun admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N50, 000 with one surety in like sum.

Adegun ordered that the surety should be gainfully employed and show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government. 

According to the victim, she was in the kitchen making dinner when she responded to her neighbor’s husband’s greetings, only for his wife to barge out and warn her to desist from communicating with her husband.

''I responded to his greeting by saying, ‘welcome sir.’ The wife, who heard us, came out from their apartment and warned me never to greet her husband. She said that if I tried it again, she would deal with me.

I asked her when it has become a crime to respond to greetings. She said that I should wait for her. I continued with my cooking. A few minutes later, I saw her with a pot; she was hurriedly moving towards me. Her husband tried to block me from her, but the woman went behind me and poured hot water on my back.”