A 14-year-old housemaid attempted to poison Nasiru Akinlosotu, her 63-year-old master, by mixing rat poison in a meal of beans, because he scolded her over an incident. The suspect, a primary four pupil in a public school in Ondo town, has been arrested by the state Police command.

It was reported that the victim, who resides at Adetomowo Street in the town, escaped eating the poisoned meal by sheer luck. Sikirat, his wife, was said to have told the suspect, who had stayed with the couple for two years, to prepare the meal and serve her husband before she would return from her shop. The suspect, police source said, prepared the food for three, but mixed a powdered rat poison in the victim’s dish. The police source added that the victim discovered that the smell from the beans was unusual and after questioning the suspect, he raised an alarm and the maid confessed in the presence of their neighbours.

Narrating how he escaped death to newsmen, the victim described it as an act of God. Akinlosotu said he never thought the suspect could go to such extent because he chastised her for some wrongdoing. He said: “I had even put a spoon of the beans in my mouth and about to swallow it when I perceived an offensive odour and an unpleasant taste from the food. I immediately vomited the beans and called her to ask why the beans smelt and tasted strange. But she claimed it was because she added spices.”

He said her explanation was not convincing hence he invited neighbours. According to him, “it was in the cause of interrogation by the residents in the neighbourhood that the housemaid confessed that she ground the medicine meant for rat that was bought few days ago by my wife and sprinkled its content into my share of the food. She later stated that she decided to add poison into my food in retaliation for the correction which I made when she committed an offence.

“After the confession, I contacted my wife to narrate the incident to her. When she arrived, she decided to report the matter at the Yaba Divisional Police Station in Ondo town for further investigation.”

Contacted Femi Joseph, state police spokesman, said the matter had not been reported at the state Police Command.

In any case, a police source hinted that a signal on the matter had been sent to the state Police Command headquarters for further action.

—  May 8, 2017 @ 10:15 GMT