Tragic Suicide of 14-Year-Old Girl in Lagos State Highlights Perils of Domestic Violence

In a heart-wrenching incident, 14-year-old Desola Adeoye took her own life in the Shogunle community of Lagos. The young girl’s tragic decision was attributed to relentless domestic violence inflicted upon her by her father, Sunday Adeoye, and stepmother. Desola reportedly ingested insecticide as a desperate measure to escape the ongoing physical and emotional abuse.

The unsettling chain of events began when Desola returned from a summer school lesson. Allegedly, her stepmother started issuing threats, warning Desola that her father would unleash his anger upon her when he returned home. Fearing the impending violence, Desola secretly left her home and consumed the poisonous substance she found in the house.

Desola was rushed to a nearby private hospital in dire condition, but unfortunately, she passed away. It was revealed that when her father returned, he intended to take her lifeless body home for a discreet burial. However, vigilant neighbors alerted police officers from the Shogunle Divisional Police station, preventing this grim plan from materializing.

A concerned neighbor, who reported the incident to the non-governmental organization Advocates for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network (ACVPN), shed light on the consistent and brutal domestic abuse that Desola and her two younger sisters suffered at the hands of their father and stepmother.

The neighbor remarked, “The late Desola and her two younger sisters were regularly subjected to domestic violence by their biological father and stepmother every time they made a mistake.”

Tragically, Desola’s decision to end her life was rooted in the constant fear of being subjected to further abuse from her father. The community had reportedly intervened on several occasions, urging Desola’s father and stepmother to cease their violent behavior, but these pleas fell on deaf ears.

Expressing his concern, Mr. Ebenezer Omejalile, the Chief Operating Officer of ACVPN, appealed to the Lagos State government, the Nigeria Police, and the Nigeria Bar Association to ensure the safety and well-being of the remaining two children still under the couple’s care. He also called for justice to be served in honor of the late Desola, whose tragic story has shed light on the dire consequences of unchecked domestic violence within households.