An Islamic cleric in the Badagry area of Lagos State, Fatai Afobaje, has
been accused of conspiring with some security men in his area to kill his
friend, Rafiu Suleiman.
Police sources said after the 40-year-old was dead, Afobaje, along with
five others, shared his remains among themselves for ritual purposes.
It was gathered that what remained of the late Kwara State indigene was
recovered by men of the Nigeria Police Force on Monday, after an intensive
search.
The incident happened at Oko Agbonla, Magbon in the Badagry area.
PUNCH Metro gathered that Afobaje and Suleiman had been friends
for a long time, and the deceased had given a lot of money to the suspect.
Afobaje was said to have conspired with the Chief Security Officer of
the area, identified only as Tanko, to kill Suleiman on Friday.
Our correspondent learnt that apart from the corpse, the police also
recovered a clay pot which contained the fingers of the deceased with a few
naira notes.
A source said the two men had met in a commercial bus and became friends
that lasted for years.
He said, “The two men met in a commercial bus. Suleiman had offered to
pay the transport fare of Afobaje after the conductor was about embarrassing
him because he had no change.
“The Alfa then said he would like to know him better for being so
gracious to him (Alfa). So, Suleiman gave the Alfa his address
and asked him to visit.
“That was how the friendship started. From what we found out, Suleiman,
who worked as a crane operator, would collect his salary and give half of it to
Alfa at the end of the month and that happened for a long time.”
The source, who added that investigation was still on, said Afobaje
suddenly connived with his friends to kill Suleiman.
Another source said on Friday, last week, the victim was called by Alfa
to come for a meeting around 8pm.
He said, “As soon as the victim got to the street’s gate, the security
guards surrounded him and asked who he was looking for. When he told them, they
flogged him with charms and he died.
“They then called the Alfa to come and when he arrived, they shared
his body parts. While one collected his head, another demanded all his
intestines, while another asked for his breasts, which were given out.”
Our correspondent learnt that when the victim’s boss did not find him,
he made a call to his wife, who explained that she had yet to also see him.
His boss was said to have contacted policemen from the Morogbo division
who then launched a search for him.
The deceased’s brother, Yinusa Wahab, told PUNCH Metro that the
victim’s wife asked him to search Afobaje’s house, adding that the victim was
there.
Wahab said, “We went to the house, but he was not around. We searched
everywhere and didn’t see my brother. Later, we saw a mutilated corpse floating
on a stream near the house. It was swollen and there was no head. The breast
had been cut off.
“We went back to the house and as we looked around, I saw some fingers
in a pot which were still being burnt and when I saw them, I could recognise
that they belonged to my brother.”
The police were said to have apprehended the suspect, and he reportedly
named the chief security officer as an accomplice.
Afobaje, when queried, owned up to the act, saying he divided the body
with the other suspects.
He said, “He was on his way to my house when he was killed. When I got
there, he had been killed and then we shared his body. I urge my accomplices to
also confess because the act has been uncovered and there is nothing we can do
about it.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth Nwosu,
confirmed the incident.
He said, “The decomposing corpse of the victim has been recovered, while
Alfa Fatai has been arrested.
“The matter has been transferred to the State Department of Criminal
Investigation, Yaba.”
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