A man, identified as Rasak Alabi, has battered his wife’s niece, a 27-year-old beautician, Latifat Adeyemi, for allegedly turning on an air conditioner in their house in Solebo, Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

According to Punch, Alabi claimed that the air conditioner consumes excessive power, and allegedly hit the victim with a spanner in the face and flogged her with a piece of cable, which led to her admission in a private hospital.

It was gathered that the victim and her grandmother had been living in the house located on Ile Eye Street for the past 10 years.

The bungalow was reportedly built by Alabi’s wife.

It was learnt that Alabi, who had earlier separated from his wife for the past 20 years, moved into the building in 2015 after reconciling with his wife, a nurse, who is based in the United States of America.

According to the report, ever since Alabi moved into the house, there had been misunderstandings, which had led to the eviction of some relatives in the house.

Latifat pointed out that she was only staying in the house because she had to cater to her grandma.

She said, “My aunt is a nurse and she is based in the US. She put her mother in the house and asked me to cater for her. Grandma and I had been living in that house for over 10 years.

“Alfa (Alabi) and my aunt separated over 20 years ago. They never had a child together. But last year, they reconciled and the family said we needed a man in the house; so he moved into the house. He evicted our last born, but I stayed behind because of grandma.

“Last week Friday, when I returned from Surulere around 7pm, I saw that he had broken into my apartment and removed the AC there. He said the AC consumed too much power.

“I made a call to my uncle and I told him that I would be packing out of the house because I was fed up. As I turned around, he hit me in the eye severally with a spanner and as I ran off, he picked a cable piece and flogged me.”

She said she went to the Ipakodo Police Station to report the incident, adding that operatives who followed her to the house met the gate locked.

Latifat said the police turned back when they could not gain entrance.

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, while confirming the incident, added that the suspect had been declared wanted by the police.

“The suspect is evading arrest, but we will get him,” she added.