Police in Lagos have arrested a driver, identified as Tayo Arowolo, for allegedly brutally beating his girlfriend’s six-year-old sister, Maria, while attempting to teach her homework. The incident occurred on 7 February 2025 at approximately 11:07 p.m. at the Abati Bus Stop along Shasha Road in Akowonjo.
According to reports from investigative journalist Deji Lambo, Arowolo, his girlfriend Adejoke, and the young victim were at home when Adejoke briefly left to attend to personal tasks. During this time, Arowolo took on the role of tutoring Maria. However, when he noticed that she was struggling to understand her school assignment, he became infuriated.
Eyewitnesses and police reports indicate that Arowolo, 33, resorted to using a belt and slippers to discipline the child, causing visible injuries. When confronted by officers from the Lagos State Police Command, led by Divisional Police Officer CSP Agatha Eze of the Idimu Division, Arowolo admitted to his actions. “I was teaching her the assignment she got from school, but when she did not understand what I was teaching her, I became angry and started beating her. I never knew I had injured her that much,” he confessed. He further explained that Maria is not his biological child, but the youngest in his girlfriend’s family—a detail he provided while mentioning that they had brought her from Ikire, Osun State, to Lagos.
Arowolo expressed regret over his actions, stating that upon noticing the injuries the following day, he purchased drugs to treat her wounds before he was subsequently arrested. He also emphasized that his pregnant girlfriend was not involved in the incident and left unanswered whether he would have acted similarly if the child were his biological daughter.
The case will be prosecuted under the Lagos State Environmental Management and Protection Law of 2017, as authorities seek to uphold stringent measures against such violent acts.
