LAGOS: Govt sets to prosecute employer for allegedly assauting sales lady

THE state government has announced its readiness to prosecute a 50-year old store owner, Rashidat Adeleke, for allegedly endangering the life of her 29-year old sales lady by pouring hot water on her face in the Ikotun area of the state.

The Director, Citizens’ Rights, Ministry of Justice, Oluwatoyin Odusanya, said the rescue team stepped into the matter following a report to the directorate by the victim.

She said, “It was gathered that Alhaja Rashidat Adeleke, who owns Super King Mark Supreme Store at No. 35 Ayodele Ogunkoya Street, off Governor’s Road, Ikotun, employed the victim as a sales lady in 2019, but the employee ended up residing with her due to the high transportation fare and other stress-related issues for the past 18 months before the ugly incident happened.”

Odusanya further noted that the victim narrated that her employer had the habit of abusing her at the slightest provocation, noting the cause of the alleged incident happened when two other sales representatives in the store aged 10 and 14, had a quarrel, which resulted in damages of some goods at the shop.

The victim said: “When they got home that fateful evening, Adeleke asked me how the goods on sale were damaged by the younger sale girls and I responded that I had no idea about how it happened.

“Alhaja Adeleke then angrily dragged me into the kitchen, locked me inside and asked the younger sales representatives if there was hot water available. They responded none was available. But she immediately boiled water and then poured it on me twice before proceeding to flog me repeatedly before I eventually collapsed.”

The director, however, informed that the employer, Adeleke, has been arrested and transferred to the Gender Anti-Human Trafficking Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, for prosecution.