Pictured! Cooks Poison Family Soup In Lekki

Culled From Punch;

Two cooks, who are nationals of the Benin Republic, Victor
Hounkpe and David Amusu, have been arrested by the police in Lagos for
allegedly poisoning their employers’ meal in the Lekki area of the state. It was learnt that the employers, Mr. Nwogu Chinaka,
and his wife, Omowunmi were taken to a hospital outside the country after
eating the poisoned meal on the unfortunate day. 

Punch correspondent gathered that apart from the couple, the
security guards and other domestic workers who ate the poisoned meal became
unconscious and were all hospitalised. Continue…

It was learnt that on Wednesday, April 22, at about 5pm,
Hounkpe, who had stayed for about a month in the house, prepared a vegetable
soup for the family.

Our correspondent gathered that all members of the family,
including the security personnel in the compound ate the soup which was served
by the cook for dinner.

Minutes later, the husband, Nwogu, reportedly developed a
severe stomach ache and collapsed, while Omowunmi rushed him to a nearby
hospital.

The wife, however, also became unconscious and fell at the
gate of the hospital after she allegedly had a severe stomach pain. The couple
was treated in the same hospital.

Our correspondent gathered that two security guards in the
compound were brought to the hospital later in the day.

It was gathered that Hounkpe and Amusu reportedly fled from
the house during the incident.

The police said the couple later wrote a petition to the
Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, on the matter, and after investigation
by the Department of Criminal Investigation, Yaba, the runaway cooks were
arrested.

Speaking with PUNCH Metro, 34-year-old Hounkpe said he put
the substance in the family’s soup to make everybody fall asleep so that
valuables in the house could be easily carted away.

“I am from the Benin Republic. I came to Nigeria in 2007. I
have always worked as a cook in Lagos. David was the agent who brought me to
the couples’ house. He was the one who gave me the substance to put inside the
soup. He told me the substance was a sleeping pill. The plan was that everyone
would fall asleep.

“They wanted to steal gold and other valuables. I put the
substance inside the vegetable soup. It was a powdery substance. I had worked
with them for about a month. The couple did not offend us. They were to pay me
N50,000 monthly. We just wanted them to sleep off. I ran to the Ogudu area
after the incident to pick up another job. That was where I was arrested.”

Amusu, 33, added that the gang was about raiding the
couples’ apartment when the duo became unconscious and was rushed to a
hospital.

He said, “I was a former cook in the house. I was the one
who brought Victor (Hounkpe). On the fateful day, when Victor finished cooking
the soup, he called me to say the job had been done. But then, we learnt that
the couple was rushed to a hospital after falling unconscious. So, we fled the
area.”

The police added that the plan was to use Hounkpe as an
insider to give free access to the robbery gang. Amusu was to lead the gang
members into the compound. They added that the plan was foiled.

The CP, Aderanti, who paraded the suspects, advised
residents of Lagos to always do background checks on people employed into their
homes and places of work.

He said, “They have both confessed to the crime. The couple
has been flown abroad for treatment. I want the public to always be careful
about the people they bring into their homes. In Lagos, there is no place for
criminals to hide.”