Mrs Anita Ekpeyong narrowly escaped death after she was beaten comatose and thrown inside a well by a man that she said refused to pay her the N3,000 bargained for sex. The woman, who lives in an uncompleted building at Aladura Mosque Street, White Sand, Isheri Oshun, Lagos, with her husband, Ifeanyi, and their two children, left their abode two weeks ago, after informing her family that she was going to charge her mobile phone.

According to her, on the way to charge her phone, a man she identified as Isaac requested to take her home for sex, with an agreement to pay her N3,000. Trouble, however, started for the mother of two following Isaac’s refusal to pay her the agreed sum after having sex with her in his one-room apartment at 4, Kilanko Street, White Sand, Isheri Oshun. An argument, which degenerated into scuffle, ensued during which Isaac threw Anita inside a well, abandoning her to die.

Brought out of the well

A passer-by said to have been alerted by shouts for help from the well, raised the alarm and Anita was rescued. Ekpeyong was, thereafter, rushed to two private hospitals in the area, unconscious, but was rejected. She was then taken to the Isolo General Hospital by the Police, where she was treated for a week before being transferred to another hospital, where she underwent another round of treatment before she was discharged, weekend.

During interrogation, she said: “I did not know the man before. He only stopped me and asked how much I would take for the service and I said N3,000. But when he finished he refused to pay.

“Rather, he threatened to kill me and dump my body in the bush. He started dragging me out of his house and at the same time hit me on my head.

“He collected my Nokia Android phone and the money I had earlier worked for. He covered my mouth with cloth to prevent me from shouting and gave me a hard fist on my jaw, which forced a tooth to fall off.

“He dragged me out of his compound to about five buildings away from his. At a point, I was so weak and passed out. The next time I opened my eyes, I found myself inside a well.

“The luck I had was that the water level was just up to my chest. That was when I yelled for help.”

At press time, the suspect, Isaac, was still on the run.

His rent expired in March — Suspect’s landlord

His landlord, identified simply as Okwuchukwu, stated that the victim’s rent had long expired and that he had issued him notice to quit. He said: “He moved into this house in January 2016. His rent expired at the end of March 2017. Since then he has not paid a kobo. The notice to quit issued him expired in October. I have taken him to several places to ensure he leaves my house.

“While we are still on that issue, I came back home from work on December 12 only to be informed that he brought a married woman home, slept with her and instead of paying her, beat her and threw her inside a well.”

Lagos State Police Command has intensified effort in search of the fleeing suspect.

•Sourced from Vanguard.

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