Mary Sunday: A cry for justice, succour

• Mary before the attack                              • Mary after the attack

The dream of every university graduate is to gain employment, thereby putting an end to life of dependency on parents, who must have laboured hard to help achieve that feat.
That dream, perhaps, is one that may never be realised, if financial help does not come Mary Sunday’s way, to assist her undergo urgent reconstructive surgery on her face and body.  Sunday allegedly sustained first degree burns from a cooking stove with boiling stew poured on her by her fiancé, Police Corporal Isaac Gbanwuan Orseer, during a fracas.
Trouble started for the 27-year-old Business Administration graduate when in August 24, 2012, she and her fiancé, had gone to see their doctor over Isaac’s health issues. On their way home, an argument ensued over a telephone call that Mary received. The Corporal queried her concerning the telephone calls she made and received, suspecting the calls were from her lovers.


Obviously not satisfied with her explanation, the argument degenerated and by the time they got back to their Block 5, room 10 abode in Pedro Police Barracks, Isaac became aggressive and started beating her.
According to Mary, “when it became obvious I could not bear the pains inflicted on me by Isaac as he was kicking and dragging me, I tried to escape the scene and then ran to the second floor of the two-storey building, where we lived.”

This did not deter Isaac from inflicting more pain on his victim. According to Mary, Isaac pursued her into a neighbour’s kitchen, where she sought refuge, forcefully opened the door, and in a fit of rage, carried the neighbour’s cooking stove with boiling stew and emptied the content on Mary’s head. The stove exploded, consequently setting Mary on fire.
“I ran into our neighbour’s kitchen. She had a pot of boiling stew on her stove. Isaac just made his way to the stove, carried it and poured the content on me. Maybe it’s because he shook the hot stove, I don’t know. All I knew was that the stove exploded on me and my hair and cloth just caught fire. That was the last thing I remembered as I slipped into coma after that,” Mary recounted.

This act by Isaac has caused Mary to lose her two ears, her upper neck and arms, glued together by the fire. Mary has survived two surgeries to repair the damage caused to her face with the help of her family. Till date, Isaac is walking a free man, incidentally.
The Lagos State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer (DPPRO), Damascus Ozoani has however absolved the Corporal of the allegation on the ground that the police have carried out and closed investigations on the issue. The DPPRO, had in February, affirmed that Mary intentionally inflicted those harm on herself.

Beyond the investigation carried out by the police, Mary seems not to have any other window of redress since the police have closed investigation on her case.
Mary alleges foul play in the investigation as the police did not at any point visit her to get any information from her after a complaint was lodged by her relative.

These claims by the police have however been faulted by the Human Rights community.
Executive Director Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, (WARDC), Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, believes that the police authority were too hasty in coming to the conclusion, arguing that unless it is intended to cover up one of their own from being punished for a dastardly act, the case should be reopened. She wondered why a woman, who was running for her life, seeking help and assistance from neighbours, would suddenly become suicidal and inflict such wanton harm on herself.

Since the incidence happened in Lagos that has passed the Violence Prohibition Law with a commitment to rid the state of violence against women and men, WARDC has petitioned the state House of Assembly.

In a petition to the Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly Adeyemi Ikuforiji, Akiyode-Abiola called on the state assembly to set up a panel of enquiry in respect of the case, so that such act will not go unpunished in order to serve as deterrent to others.
“We believe it is necessary because we suspect that there is an attempt to subdue the case because of the multiple conflicts of interest associated with the case. Also is the fact that several women suffer this and other forms of violence and the police attitude in Lagos often allows for these crimes to go unpunished.”
“The law amongst other things provides for protection and redress for women and men in abusive relationship. The state is under the obligation to protect this woman from this form of aggression”, she argued.

When contacted on telephone, Isaac said that the case has already been reported to the State Provost Marshal at Ikeja Command headquarters.

Meanwhile, the victim, Mary, has appealed to Nigerian Police authorities to reopen the case so that justice can be served on the matter. She also appealed to Nigerians to help her raise N5 million, needed to undergo reconstructive surgery in India.