Lagos State Police command has arrested a father, identified simply as Benson, for allegedly flogging his son to death with a belt after the teenager was accused of stealing N1,200 at Olanrewaju Street, Oregun, Ikeja where he lived with his two sons Bright and Samuel, 14 years.
Samuel told Punch correspondent that on Sunday evening, his father beat up his elder brother in anger because of the accusation against him. He added that Bright had been ill before the beating.
He said, “Bright has been sick for some days before that Sunday. Initially in the morning, Dad was looking for Bright, but could not find him. Later in the evening, Bright showed up with some boys on our street who told our father that Bright had stolen N1,200 from them.
“Truly, dad found the money in his pocket, but I think he stole it because he was hungry that day.
My father was very angry on discovering the money in Bright’s pocket. He returned the money to the owners, and after they left, tied Bright’s hands with a rope. He then began to beat him with the iron end of his belt.”
Samuel noted that his father, who suffered from partial blindness, must have unintentionally hit Bright, who was still battling with a sickness, in the wrong place.
“I think it was the anger that made my daddy to make that mistake. The reason is because as soon as he did not hear Bright’s cries again, dad stopped beating him, carried him on his shoulders and rushed him to a private hospital near our house. But he was said to be dead when we got to the hospital,” he added.