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By: Okosun Dennis
“Wonder shall never cease” says a dictum but anytime such seeming misery happens, questions that are often asked is: what led to the action?
The Lagos State Police Command is currently unravelling the concocted fake death allegedly posted on a Facebook page by a teenage girl, Margaret Adiya Ikumu, 19 years old, on the ground that her mother was sapping her financially.
Margaret, who is presently with the police at Ajah was said to have confessed that she created the Facebook account and posted her obituary with intent to keep her family away from her.
She further explained that her biological mother had turned her into money spinning mechine with her insatiable financial pressure on her, as she constantly demand that she send money to her.
Uncomfortable with the pressure and at the point of getting fagged out, the girl apparently unhappy and bitter with her mother and uncles, over their inability to sponsor her education after the death of her father, decided to fake her death, an excuse to free herself from their financial entanglement and freedom.
She observed in her confessional statement that her sojourn to Lagos was to enable her work, make some savings and be able to return to school in the future.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, DSP Elkana Bala said on Sunday in a statement that the command, had on the 15 May, 2020, received a petition signed by one Tony Iji on behalf of the family of one Margaret Adiya Ikumu ‘f’ 19 year old from Oni community, Oju Local Government Area, Benue State.
In the petition, it was alleged that the suspect, Margaret had created a Facebook in which she used the picture of their daughter on the wall and claimed that she (Margaret Adiya) had died few days ago and was secretly buried by her two friends identified as Marvelous Mary and Nneka Buddy at Ajah area.
It was further revealed that the family were able to establish contact with the said friends who confirmed to them that their daughter was indeed dead; adding that they were instructed by Margaret not to allow members of her family know anything about her dead and that they were authorised by the deceased person to secretly bury her.
To make them believe that the girl is dead, they send WhatsApp chats to a member of the girl’s family with picture of a casket showing that the girl is buried. The known phone number of the girl is permanently switched off. The family also got in touch with a man on phone who claimed to be her boyfriend and corroborated the claim that she is dead.
Through a discreet investigation following the petition, the girl was eventually found by the Police to be alive and working as a house maid in an undisclosed estate at Ajah.
However, when her employer saw the report of her purported death, they were said to have quickly informed the Police and she was brought to Ajah Police Station.
On the picture used on the Facebook wall, Margaret disclosed and admitted that she used her employer daughter’s photograph Dr Nimechi Ugorji (without her knowledge) in the fictitious Facebook account she created, as profile picture.
“After posting the obituary notice on the account, her Uncle downloaded the profile picture and reposted, calling on members of the public who know the person on the photograph to report to the nearest Police Station,” DSP Bala Elkana reiterated.
