Man Bites Off Stepson’s Ear For Defending Wife

A truck loader, Udeme Inim, 30, allegedly bit off his stepson’s ear in the Ebute Meta area of Lagos State. It was gathered that there had been a disagreement between Inim and his wife, which had led to the suspect assaulting her. When his stepson, Christopher Bassey, intervened, Inim left his wife and attacked him.

In the ensuing scuffle, Inim, an indigene of Akwa Ibom State, was said to bitten the teenager’s right ear off.

The victim was rushed to a hospital shortly after he reported the matter to the Iponri Police Station, but his ear could not be saved.

Punch correspondent saw the ear in a transparent nylon after sighting the victim in the Ebute Meta area on Monday.

The affected part was bandaged.

He said, “On that day, he was fighting with my mum and at a point he began to destroy some of our property. It was too much for me to bear. So I tried to stop him and that was when he attacked me and bit off my ear.”

The police arraigned Inim before a Magistrate’s Court on one count of assault.

The police prosecutor, Cousin Adams, said the offence was punishable under Section 243 of the Criminal Law Vol. 44, Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.

Inim said he was not guilty of the charge and elected summary trial.

The defence counsel, Beauty Otighi, told the court the matter was a family affair, adding that the victim was the defendant’s stepson and that they lived in the same house.

“We want to apply for his bail in liberal terms pursuant to Section 115 (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, 2011 and also he’s to be presumed innocent based on Section 36 (5) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” she added.

The magistrate admitted him to bail in the sum of N20, 000 with two sureties in like sum.

The case was adjourned till March 26, 2015.

Source: Punch