Sunday Vanguard reports that a 14-year-old maid allegedly tried to poison her master because she was rebuked. Mr Nasiru Akinlosotu, 63, a former medicine store operator, escaped from death after Mary Akinnifesi put rat poison in his meal. She was said to have taken the action against her master because she was rebuked for messing up the living room with water a night before she was directed to prepare the dinner by the wife of the victim.
Not knowing that the suspect was nursing a grudge against Akinlosotun, the wife, Sikirat, as usual, directed the maid to prepare beans for dinner and to serve the husband before she returned from her shop that night. Sikirat is a primary school teacher but has a shop where she retires to every working day after school hours. Seeing that as an opportunity to have her own pound of flesh, the suspect allegedly prepared the dinner and decided to add the poison her madam had bought to rid the house of rats to her master’s food.
It was gathered that Mary who was engaged by the victim’s wife, had stayed with the couple for two years and had never shown such a behaviour until that night. The victim, who, as gathered, returned home that evening, asked for his food almost immediately he entered the house and the maid put the poisoned food before her hungry master. It was learnt that the unsuspecting master who, while mixing the beans with spoon, perceived some offensive smell from it still put a spoon in his mouth only to spit it out almost immediately following the awful taste.
The maid was invited and questioned but she lied that she only added spice that will give the beans aroma. But not satisfied with her explanation, the master queried further that what he perceived from the food was different from what he was told. After much threat, the maid reportedly confessed to what she did and the master raised the alarm and invited neighbours to hear the confession by their maid.
Narrating how he escaped death, Akinlosotu described it as an act of God. He explained that he had no inclination that the suspect could go to such an extent as to want to kill him because he rebuked her for being careless by pouring water on the floor in the sitting room.
“I had even put a spoon of the beans in my mouth and about to swallow it when I discovered offensive odour and unpleasant taste from the food”, the victim said. “I immediately vomited the beans and called Mary to ask why the beans was smelling in such a manner and the taste was awful but she claimed she added spice”.
He said her explanation was not convincing hence he raised the alarm and invited neighbours.
“It was in the course of interrogation by neighbours that the housemaid confessed that she crushed the medicine meant for rat that was bought few days ago by my wife and poured it into my own share of the food”, he narrated. “She later stated that she decided to add the poison into my food in retaliation for the correction which I made when she committed an offense in the house. “After the confession, I contacted my wife by phone and narrated the incident to her. “Upon her arrival in the house, she decided to report the matter at Yaba Divisional Police Station in Ondo town for further investigation into the matter”.
The victim, however, said he or his family would not press charges against the suspect.
“Since God has delivered me from death, why should I fight again? I have left everything to God”.
Meanwhile, Ondo State Police Command image maker Femi Joseph said Akinlosotu had applied formally to say he was not interested in pressing charges against the suspect. Joseph said the victim informed the police that he had changed his mind and would not want to proceed with the court case because the suspect is his relation.
“This is our predicament: Once the complainant says he is not interested in pressing charges, the state is handicapped because the court will dismiss the case when there is no complainant”, he said.
Joseph quoted the victim as saying the reason he lodged the complaint with the police was to expose the devilish activities of housemaids and the need for people to always be vigilant when dealing with them.