A house boy, Joel Sunday, has been severely injured by his boss, Opeyemi Omoyemi, for allegedly eating a piece of meat from her pot of soup.
According to available information, she tortured him with a razor blade and knife on Adebowale Street, Akure, Ondo State.
Videos of the incident showed Sunday writhing in pain.
Omoyemi, who was eventually arrested by neighbours and taken to Fanibi Police Station in Akure, was charged to court on Monday.
The incident was also confirmed by the spokesperson of the Ondo State Police Command, Funmilayo Odunlami.
Odunlami said: “So far, her claim is that the small boy stole meat from her pot of soup.”
Omoyemi was arraigned on before a Magistrate Court sitting in Akure.
The 36-year-old widow was arraigned on five counts bordering on attempted murder, child abuse, violence against persons prohibition, among others.
The defendant pleaded guilty to counts one, four and five, and pleaded not guilty to count three.
The police prosecutor, Emmanuel Tanimowo, said the defendant committed the offence on February 6, 2022 at her residence.
The prosecutor told the court that the crime was reported to the police by a community health worker, Alice Ayedun.
He said: “Mrs Alice Ayedun was going to church when she saw Joel Sunday crying, with blood on his body and the woman was forced to stop to see what was happening; she saw the defendant beating up the boy at the back of the house.
“She immediately rescued the boy from the woman.
“The defendant had asked the boy to wash the blood off his body after she used a razor blade to cut his body and made open injuries.
“In order to rescue the boy from the woman, Ayedun told her that she was a nurse and that she was taking the boy to a hospital for treatment.
“The woman later took the boy to the Fanibi Police Station to report the matter, which led to the arrest of the defendant.
“At the police station, she confessed to the crime and that she observed that the boy had packed all the meats in her pot of soup.
“She said immediately the boy saw her, he tried to run away, but she held him.
“She later took him to the sitting room where she used the razor blade to cut various parts of the boy’s body.
“The boy was later taken to the police clinic and currently undergoing treatment, but still in a critical condition.”
Counsel for the defendant, Gbenga Allen, appealed to the court to temper justice with mercy as the defendant was a first time offender.
In her ruling, the Magistrate, O.A. Edwin, said the defendant was guilty of counts one, four and five.
She adjourned for sentencing and trial of count three till February 14.
Edwin, however, stated that the court had no jurisdiction to hear count two, which bordered on attempted murder.
The magistrate also ordered that the four children of the defendant be taken to a government home for custody.
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