The police in Lagos have arrested a cleric, Mr. Isiaka Akanbi, for
allegedly killing a 62-year-old woman, Raliatu Kareem.
The police also accused Akanbi of stealing the deceased’s wallet and
other personal effects.
It was learnt
that Akanbi, popularly called Alfa, had a traditional healing centre on
Lawani Street, in the Olodi Apapa area of Lagos.
Kareem, who hails from Ilorin, Kwara State, had known Akanbi for about
20 years as she was a close customer of his.
It was gathered that on Saturday, October 25, Kareem, who lived on
Ope-Ewe Street, Agbado Ijaiye, Lagos, went to visit an elder sister, Risikatu
Raheem, whose daughter put to bed in the Olodi Apapa area.
She was said to have left Ijaiye after the monthly environmental
exercise was over, informing her 20-year-old son, Abdullahi, of the visit to
her sister.
Kareem reportedly stayed till around 6pm at her sister’s place on Salubi
Street before she headed for the Alfa’s place.
It was learnt that two days after, Kareem did not return home as she
promised. The family became apprehensive and went on her trail to the Olodi
Apapa area.
After failing to locate Kareem at the sister’s apartment, some family
members, who knew she was a friend of the cleric, decided to check the Alfa’s
place.
On getting to Akanbi’s centre, the Alfa denied setting eyes on
Kareem.
However, the family became suspicious when Akanbi reportedly started
packing his property, and preparing to flee the house some hours later.
The family was said to have raised the alarm and headed for the Tolu
Police Station to report the incident. The police later came to arrest Akanbi.
During interrogation, 55-year-old Akanbi told the police that he did not
kill the woman, adding that she died in his place. Akanbi added that when he
realised the woman was dead, he buried her personal effects to erase any trace
of her in his house.
He also told the police that he took the corpse to Marine Bridge,
abandoning it there.
He said, “On the evening of October 26, it is true that she visited me.
We have been very good friends too. On that day, she just collapsed and became
unconscious. I quickly rushed her to a nearby hospital, but I was shocked when
the nurses told me she had died.
“I got a NAPEP tricycle and took her corpse to the Marine Bridge that
same night and abandoned it there. I did not want people to trace her corpse to
me. When I got home, I buried her wallet, handset, bangle and ring behind my
house.
“I did not kill her. I am an Alfa, I do favour charms for
traders. I met Raliatu in 1986. Since then, we have been family friends. She
used to come to my place for consultation and I had been to her house too.”
One of Kareem’s children, Abdullahi, said the family wanted Akanbi to
produce the corpse of their mother so that they could bury her appropriately.
He said, “I have seen the man in our house a number of times. But he
said she died in his house and he now took her corpse to Marina Bridge and
abandoned it. We want him to produce that corpse so that we can bury her
appropriately.”
The family said Akanbi might have dumped Kareem’s corpse in the lagoon
as they could not find it on the Marine Bridge where Akanbi claimed he had
dropped it. After contacting all relevant agencies in the state, the family
said the corpse had yet to be found.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu,
confirmed the case.
He said, “The case has been transferred to the State Criminal
Investigations Department, Yaba, for further investigation.”
Tags
Society