Neighbour drags 'Good Samaritan' to court

A 37-year-old woman, Mary Ubah, was on Monday arraigned before an Ojo Magistrates' Court in Lagos, for allegedly assaulting her neighbour.

The defendant, who appeared before Magistrate Ademola Adesanya, is charged on two counts bordering on causing a breach of peace and assault.

She, however, pleaded not guilty.

The Prosecutor, ASP Simeon Uche, told the court that the defendant committed the offences on November 2 at No. 53, Baale St. in Mowo, Lagos.

He said that the defendant assaulted the complainant, one Angela Matthew, by slapping and hitting her with a plastic chair, during an argument.

In her defence, Ubah told the court that she had acted as a 'saviour' to the complainant when her husband had sought to divorce her.

She said that the complainant was pregnant at that time and had suffered several beatings from him, adding that she had taken sides with the complainant to save her from her husband.

The defendant told the court that she was surprised to be tagged 'an enemy' by the complainant, after she had reconciled with her husband.

Ubah told the court that this was a clear case of a 'good Samaritan' gone wrong.

Meanwhile, on her part, Matthew, the complainant, told the court that the defendant and her mother conspired to beat her up after she had reconciled with her husband.

The offences contravened the provisions of Sections 168(d) and 172 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

The court granted the defendant bail in the sum of N30,000 with two sureties in like sum.

He adjourned the case until November 14 for mention.