Officers of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested Esther Bello, a trader, for allegedly abusing her 13-year-old housemaid, Titi, in Obanikoro, Lagos.

Policemen from the Pedro station were called by neighbours after Titi ran out of her madam’s house with a bleeding hand that had been cut deep in 3 places, Punch reports.

According to Titi, Esther, her madam, had caused the injuries and threatened to kill her if she raised any alarm.

When Police got to the apartment, Esther lied that the maid had travelled to the Ikorodu area with a friend.

According to one of the neighbours who witnessed the incident, at about 1:30 am on Wednesday, the maid, who was said to be from Cotonou, Benin Repubic, ran out of the house with a bleeding hand and told neighbours she had been cut by Esther with a broken bottle.

Neighbours confronted Esther and asked her why she allegedly cut Titi with a broken bottle but Esther ignored them and Titi returned to the house.

Then at about 7am, the neighbours went back to the house to check on Titi to see how she was faring only to see her doing domestic work with the injured hand that hadn’t been treated.

After Esther told the Police that Titi was no longer with her. They returned with a search warrant, combed the house then found the maid bleeding in a locked room in the house.

Esther was subsequently arrested for child abuse. Officials of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team went to the police station, and took charge of the welfare of the girl.