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| Victim and suspect |
22-year-old Sunday Peter, from Obi Local Government Area, Benue State, has been arrested by detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command State, Abuja, for allegedly stabbing his aunt, Salome Idoko, 35, to death in her own house, just because she refused to give him money for his rent.
Peter who later confessed that he was a member of Young Vikings Confraternity, had earlier visited his aunt and her family and spent 3 days with them. Before he left the home, Salome's husband, James Idoko, gave Peter a ride to Maitama, dropped him off and gave him N1000 to cover his transport fare to Maraba, Nasarawa State, where he lived.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abubakar Bello said the gruesome murder took place at about 1:35pm September 28. He said, after his initial visit, Peter, a nephew of the deceased and his friend, Istafanus Yerima, 22, visited his aunt again at her home which is close Berger Bridge Quarry Gate, Mpape, Abuja to allegedly demand for N30,000 from her to pay his rent.
When Salome saw the duo, she asked Peter why he returned to the house so soon and asked him to tell his friend to leave her house, so Istafanus left the house and waited outside.
While they were both in the Salome's sitting room, a huge argument ensued, which led to a fight between between Salome and Peter.
Yerima supposedly ran back into the house to break up the fight, but the aunt slapped him as well, so he ended up stabbing Salome in the wrist. Peter snatched the knife from him and stabbed his aunt again on the back. She fell and began to bleed profusely. Peter and Istafanus ignored her cries for help and robbed the house.
Salome’s body was discovered at about 3.30pm by her four children who came back from school and saw her lying in a pool of her own blood. They screamed and attracted the attention of neighbours, who rushed the Salome to Asokoro General Hospital, where she eventually died due to severe loss of blood.
Her husband immediately reported the matter at the Mpape Police Station after he heard what happened. From there, the case was transferred to the FCT SCID, Abuja, where an investigation into the murder was immediately launched.
Two days after the gruesome incident, Peter was arrested on September 30. He immediately confessed and implicated his friend, Istafanus, who was also arrested at his workshop.
According to him ,"I am a member of Young Vikings Confraternity. It was Yerima who initiated me into cultism. I am a welder by profession. I stayed with my aunty in her house for three days. Then the husband dropped me off at Maitama Bridge and gave me N1,000 for transport to return to Maraba.
I went to my friend’s house and slept there. I told Yerima, my friend that I just wanted to threaten my aunt and collect N30,000 from her for my house rent.”
"When I got to my aunt’s house, she was angry with me, asking what was my mission in her house. She ordered me to send my friend, Yerima, out of her house. I complied. I asked her to give me N30,000 for my house rent.
"When I got to my aunt’s house, she was angry with me, asking what was my mission in her house. She ordered me to send my friend, Yerima, out of her house. I complied. I asked her to give me N30,000 for my house rent.
We started arguing and she slapped me. A fight broke out. When Yerima came to separate us, she slapped him too. So Yerima brought out knife and stabbed her on the wrist and I took the knife from Yerima and stabbed her at her back. Yerima took back the knife and stabbed her in the stomach.”
Peter stated further that Istafanus cupped Salome's mouth to prevent her from screaming for help. After escaping with the plasma TV set, he hid it in his brother’s house. "When I heard the news that my aunt had died, I went to their house to sympathize with them. As I got to Mpape, policemen accosted me, and began questioning me. When I confessed what happened, they arrested me.”
Istafanus, a native of Gbagyi Local Government Area, Nasarawa State, allegedly confessed that he stabbed Salome after she slapped him first.
Istafanus who said that he is an artisan who specialized in the molding of Plaster of Paris for interior design of buildings said that they had no intention to kill Salome.
Salome's husband, James Idoko, said how his suspicion of Peter being involved in the murder of his wife led to the suspect’s arrest.
He said:
After my wife died and people started coming on condolence visit, I noticed that Peter, my late wife’s nephew was absent. I asked his twin brother, Godwin Peter, whether Sunday Peter was not aware of the death of my wife. He responded that he was aware of it. I started to suspect him of being behind my late wife’s death. I told the police at Mpape Police Station that I suspected Peter over the death of my late wife.
“On Sunday as Peter was coming to my house, policeman called him aside and interrogated him and he confessed. "This is a lesson for everybody to be careful about who you trust. I want to appeal to the police to release the corpse of my wife so that we can bury her. I know that she cannot come back to life, but I look up to God to grace to bear this loss. It is a very painful one.”
Bello confirmed that the corpse of the deceased was still in the mortuary, for an autopsy to be carfried out. He said that the corpse of the deceased would be handed over to the family for burial once the investigation is completed.
Adding that the two suspects would be charged to court for the murder of Salome Idoko.
The Sun
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Crime