The Lagos State Police Command has said that 19-year-old Margaret Ikumu has been questioned for conniving with her friends, Marvellous Mary and Nneka Buddy, to fake her death in the Ajah area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said in a statement on Sunday that Margaret admitted to faking her death but explained that she did it to escape from financial pressure being mounted on her by her mother and uncles.
In a bid to make the story appear real, Elkana said Margaret, who was working as a housemaid in an estate in Ajah, allegedly created a Facebook account using her employer daughter’s picture and announced her death on the page.
The PPRO stated, “On Friday, May 15, 2020, the command received a petition signed by one Tony Iji on behalf of the family of one Margaret Ikumu, 19, from Oni community, Oju Local Government Area, Benue State. The petitioner stated that the family’s attention was drawn to a post on Facebook stating that the said Margaret Ikumu died a few days ago and was secretly buried by her two friends, Marvellous Mary and Nneka Buddy, in the Ajah area.
“The family further stated that they were able to establish contact with the said friends, who confirmed to them that their daughter was dead. They stated that they were instructed by Margaret not to allow members of her family to know anything about her death and that they were authorised by the deceased to secretly bury her.
“To make them believe that the girl was dead, they had WhatsApp chats with a member of the girl’s family with a picture of a casket, showing that the girl was buried. The known phone number of the girl was permanently switched off. The family also got in touch with a man on the phone, who claimed to be her boyfriend. He corroborated the claim that she was dead.”
However, when the news of her death became public knowledge, Margaret’s employer got the information and reported her to the Ajah Police Station and during questioning, she confessed to have created the Facebook account and posted her obituary with the intent to keep her family away from her.
The PPRO added, “The girl was eventually found by the police to be alive and working as a housemaid in an estate in Ajah. When her employers saw the report of her purported death, they quickly informed the police and she was brought to the Ajah Police Station.
“In her statement, she confessed to having created the Facebook account and posted her obituary with the intention of keeping her family away from her.
“She said her mother was mounting financial pressure on her by constantly demanding that she send money to her. The girl is apparently bitter with her mother and uncles over their inability to sponsor her education after the death of her father. Her sojourn in Lagos is to work, save some money and return to school.
“She admitted to using her employers’ daughter, Dr Nimechi Ugorji’s photograph without her knowledge for the fictitious Facebook account she created as the profile picture. After posting the obituary notice on the account, her uncle downloaded the profile picture and reposted it, calling on members of the public, who knew the person with the photograph to report to the nearest police station. Investigation is ongoing.”