Cooks poison family soup, land couple in hospital

two cooks, who are nationals of the Benin Republic,
Victor Hounkpe and David Amusu, have been arrested
by the police in Lagos for allegedly poisoning their
employers’ meal in the Lekki area of the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the employers ─ Mr. Nwogu
Chinaka, and his wife, Omowunmi ─ were taken to a
hospital outside the country after eating the poisoned
meal.
Our correspondent gathered that apart from the couple,
the security guards and other domestic workers who
ate the poisoned meal became unconscious and were
hospitalised.
It was learnt that on Wednesday, April 22, at about
5pm, Hounkpe, who had stayed for about a month in
the house, prepared a vegetable soup for the family.
Our correspondent gathered that all members of the
family, including the security personnel in the compound
ate the soup which was served by the cook for dinner.
Minutes later, the husband, Nwogu, reportedly
developed a severe stomach ache and collapsed, while
Omowunmi rushed him to a nearby hospital.
The wife, however, also became unconscious and fell at
the gate of the hospital after she allegedly had a severe
stomach pain. The couple was treated in the same
hospital.
Our correspondent gathered that two security guards in
the compound were brought to the hospital later in the
day.
It was gathered that Hounkpe and Amusu reportedly
fled from the house during the incident.
The police said the couple later wrote a petition to the
Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, on the
matter, and after investigation by the Department of
Criminal Investigation, Yaba, the runaway cooks were
arrested.
Speaking with PUNCH Metro , 34-year-old Hounkpe said
he put the substance in the family’s soup to make
everybody fall asleep so that valuables in the house
could be easily carted away.
“I am from the Benin Republic. I came to Nigeria in
2007. I have always worked as a cook in Lagos. David
was the agent who brought me to the couples’ house.
He was the one who gave me the substance to put
inside the soup. He told me the substance was a
sleeping pill. The plan was that everyone would fall
asleep.
“They wanted to steal gold and other valuables. I put
the substance inside the vegetable soup. It was a
powdery substance. I had worked with them for about a
month. The couple did not offend us. They were to pay
me N50,000 monthly. We just wanted them to sleep off.
I ran to the Ogudu area after the incident to pick up
another job. That was where I was arrested.”
Amusu, 33, added that the gang was about raiding the
couples’ apartment when the duo became unconscious
and was rushed to a hospital.
He said, “I was a former cook in the house. I was the
one who brought Victor (Hounkpe). On the fateful day,
when Victor finished cooking the soup, he called me to
say the job had been done. But then, we learnt that the
couple was rushed to a hospital after falling
unconscious. So, we fled the area.”
The police added that the plan was to use Hounkpe as
an insider to give free access to the robbery gang.
Amusu was to lead the gang members into the
compound. They added that the plan was foiled.
The CP, Aderanti, who paraded the suspects, advised
residents of Lagos to always do background checks on
people employed into their homes and places of work.
He said, “They have both confessed to the crime. The
couple has been flown abroad for treatment. I want the
public to always be careful about the people they bring
into their homes. In Lagos, there is no place for
criminals to hide.”