By Our Correspondent
A 16-year-old girl, Aishat Suleiman, widely known as the “Edo Pepper Soup Girl,” has been acquitted by a court in Edo State, bringing an end to a case that had captured public attention since October 2024.
Aishat was accused of serving poisoned pepper soup to her ex-boyfriend, Emmanuel Elogie, and four others, leading to an intense police investigation.
In a statement released by the police in October 2024, it was confirmed that the teenager had been apprehended just as she was about to be lynched by an enraged group of young men from the community where the tragic incident occurred. The police further stated that the case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a thorough and discreet investigation, after which she was charged to court.
Speaking to journalists in Benin City on Friday after being cleared of any wrongdoing, Aishat recounted that trouble began when she separated from her late 19-year-old ex-boyfriend, and his father forbade her from coming to their house.
She explained that on the day of the incident, she was in Ehiakpi when she heard of the deaths of five young men in another community, Afashio, in Uzairue, Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State.
“I did not know anything about the pepper soup. I did not cook pepper soup that day,” Aishat told journalists. “The best friend of the boy who died, Ezena Japan, posted my picture online, claiming I was wanted. A friend of mine showed me a screenshot of his post, where he promised to pay anyone who found me N500,000, accusing me of poisoning them.”
Aishat recounted that she was first rescued from the mob by local vigilantes, who then called the police before she was taken into custody.
Her legal counsel, Ibude Osamwonyi, said he took on the case after being convinced of Aishat’s innocence by a group of human rights activists. After a thorough legal review, she was exonerated when investigations revealed that the deaths of the five young men were caused by fumes from a generator set left in the room where they slept.
“Because of Aishat’s age, she was not taken to prison but instead placed in a welfare facility,” Osamwonyi explained. “Upon reviewing the case file, we found no evidence linking her to the deaths. In fact, a father to one of the deceased confirmed that she did not even visited their house on the day the incident occurred.”
Aishat’s father, Mr. Suleiman, described the ordeal as a harrowing and agonizing experience for their family. He announced his intention to pursue legal action against Ezena Japan for defaming his daughter.
As Aishat walked free, the mystery surrounding the tragic deaths of the five young men remains unresolved, leaving the public eager for more answers.