Mercy Henry
By Jesutomi Akomolafe
•‘Suspect linked to Mercy’s murder attempts suicide’
Father of Mercy, the 35-year-old mother of two, who was hacked to death and buried in sacks fears the family may not get justice going by the manner the case is being delayed.
Mercy was last seen on December 16, 2021, and was found mutilated and buried in five different sacks behind a building in Ijegun, Lagos, belonging to Bamidele.
She had informed her family that she was on her way to Ijegun, a Lagos suburb in the Ikotun area, but never mentioned the name of the person she was visiting.
Bamidele and four others linked to the murder have since been taken to Magistrate Court Two; Yaba, while their file is presently at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).
The matter was first adjourned to March 4 and further adjourned to April 20 for hearing due to the failure of the DPP to assign the case for prosecution.
Revealing his frustration, the 70-year-old father said the suspects were not in court and the magistrate was not on seat before the adjournment.
He said: “The case was transferred from Panti to court in February and the case was taken to Magistrate court Two,Yaba, under Patrick Nwaka and the Magistrate.
“When we got there the suspects were not brought to court, because they said the DPP had not assigned the case to any court and so they adjourned the case to April 20.
“Hopefully the case will be coming up this month. As a matter of fact we do not know whether the DPP has now reassigned the case to another higher court for hearing.
“My greatest worry is that at the end of the day the case might be slowed down for four, five years until it is swept under the carpet. That is my greatest fear.
There is also indication at the weekend that the prime suspect in the murder of Mercy Henry, Mayowa Bamidele, has attempted suicide in prison custody.
The father of the late mother of two, Pa Henry Ekienabor, who disclosed this to The Guardian, expressed frustration that the slow pace of prosecution may jeopardise justice in the case.
According to Pa Ekienabor, the prime suspect attempted to commit suicide following investigation into the matter.
“SP Nkama is the Investigating Police Officer (IPO) in charge of the case. The police told us that the night he confessed to the case, he attempted suicide in prison, and it was the inmate that called the warders before he was chained to the iron,” he said.
MEANWHILE, the lawyer in charge of the case, Percival Oaiya, told The Guardian that the case is making progress. He said: “There is progress on the matter and it is before the DPP now. So when the Lagos office resumes on Tuesday, I will be able to give you detailed information. We have transferred the matter from Panti to the DPP’s office. We have some letters to that effect.”
Pa Henry also revealed that she lost her life amid domestic violence, as Mercy was constantly a victim of battery in the hands of her husband, Martins Ojakem.
He said: “Mercy was separated from her husband over two years ago when her husband wanted to kill her. He subjected her to beatings mercilessly. Seven months after she gave birth to her first child, he beat her to a state of coma.”
“I then ordered her to come back with her mother who was taking care of her and her child then.
“They came home, after three weeks she told me she wanted to return to her husband’s house. So she returned and was impregnated by her husband again. With the pregnancy, she was subjected to another round of domestic violence, which caused her to bleed. I told her to go to the nearest police station and lodge a report. She said the elders of her church did not allow her to do so.”
