The Ondo State Police Command says the 17-year-old girl, who stabbed her aunt to death in Akure, has psychiatric problems.
Police spokesperson in the state, SP Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, stated on Sunday in Akure that the police were informed about the aunt’s demise on March 17 when her body was already decomposing.
She stated that the police took the remains of the aunt to the morgue and during a clean-up, a mark of violence (stabbing) was observed on the body.
She added that a knife was also found at the scene of death.
Odunlami-Omisanya also stated that a preliminary investigation showed that the 17-year-old niece who had been living with her deceased aunt since she was six years old suddenly disappeared from home.
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She added that the stench oozing out of the room attracted residents who notified the deceased’s sister.
Upon arrival, the sister peeped through the window, saw the lifeless body on the floor, and called the police, she explained.
“The teenager was later arrested by the police and was interrogated on what happened to her foster mother.
“The suspect said she stabbed and locked her aunt up in the house because she was always disturbing her to use her medication.
“Family members claimed the young girl had been under her late aunt’s tutelage since she was six years old, but developed mental illness in 2023, and was admitted at a psychiatric hospital in the state.
“The hospital treated and discharged the young girl and handed her over to the deceased aunt for onward monitoring.
“The psychiatric hospital where she was treated confirmed this claim and provided the police with her medical history,’’ Odunlami-Omisanya stated.
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She added that the teenager had been taken into protective custody at a police medical facility.
Psychiatry is the branch of medicine focused on diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders.
A psychiatrist is a medical doctor (an M.D. or D.O.) who specializes in mental health, including substance use disorders. Psychiatrists are qualified to assess both the mental and physical aspects of psychological problems.
People seek psychiatric help for many reasons. The problems can be sudden, such as a panic attack, frightening hallucinations, thoughts of suicide, or hearing “voices.” Or they may be more long-term, such as feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or anxiousness that never seem to lift or problems functioning, causing everyday life to feel distorted or out of control.
