On Thursday, residents of Aribisala Street in Lagos State’s Igando neighborhood were confused after a lady named only as Fatima allegedly severed her neighbour Mitsura’s tongue.

It was discovered that the incident occurred while the two were doing laundry on the premises where they live.

Trouble was believed to have started when Fatima, who is in her early thirties, accused Mitsura of using her bucket without her consent.

This was reported to have escalated into an argument, which resulted in a fight between them.

During the fight, Fatima allegedly strangled Mitsura and bit off her protruding tongue.

Speaking to our correspondent after the incident on Thursday, the Land Lady, only known as Mama Ibadan, said she had previously settled a quarrel between them.

She said, “They were both washing when neighbours called to inform me that they were fighting each other over the bucket. I quickly rushed down there to settle the fight and also appeal to both of them. It was after I had left that I heard people shouting that someone’s tongue had been cut off. It was when I got there that I saw Mitsura’s mouth soaked in blood. That was how I got to know that her tongue had been bitten off by Fatima.”

Mitsura, who had just turned 18, was promptly brought to the hospital for treatment. She was alleged to have been denied by three private hospitals before being accepted to the Igando General Hospital.

“We immediately took her to a nearby hospital but she was rejected. This was the same with two other hospitals that we went to before we later took her to the general hospital. Fatima’s husband who was called and informed about what happened had also gone to the hospital,” a neighbour who gave her name as Funke told our correspondent.

Another neighbour, who wanted anonymity due to the delicate nature of the occurrence, described the victim as an orphan and stated that she had recently moved in with her friends, who had rented an apartment in the building.

She said, “Mitsura had lost her parents. So due to accommodation challenges, she decided to move in with her female friends who rented an apartment here. The friends were not around when the incident happened. But when they heard what happened, they had to rush home quickly. After they took her to the hospital, they went to the police station to make a report.”

Our correspondent learned that after executing the act, Fatima attempted to run but was stopped by some people.

Fatima was being handed over to authorities for prosecution at the time this article was filed.

When contacted, Benjamin Hundeyin, the state police public relations officer, stated that he was unaware of the occurrence. “I am not aware,” he replied.