A traditional ruler in Ise Town, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State,
Taibu Ogunbanjo, is currently cooling his heels in police custody for allegedly
crushing his wife to death.
The baale runs a block-moulding factory at Folu, a community
in Ibeju Lekki.
It was learnt that Taibu and his wife, Rotimi Ogunbanjo, got
married three years ago, but the marriage had been fraught with
misunderstanding and fights.
On Thursday, December 7, 2017, the couple reportedly had a
disagreement. After the altercation, Rotimi was said to have gone to the
baale’s factory and damaged some blocks on the premises.
Taibu reportedly entered his Toyota Highlander, and was
driving out of the premises in anger when he knocked down his wife.
A community leader, who identified himself simply as
Akinsipe, said the wife died on the spot, adding that the corpse had been
deposited at the Epe General Hospital.
He said, “He (Taibu) is the baale of the community. He and
his wife had been having issues since they got married. I did not know what
actually happened between them on that day, but I learnt that they had a
disagreement in the morning.
“She went to his block factory and destroyed some blocks
arranged on the premises. He entered his vehicle angrily and as he was driving
out of the premises, the wife tried to stop him. He hit her and she died on the
spot.”
Akinsipe stated that the matter was reported at the Akodo
Police Station, adding that the baale had been arrested.
A police source told our correspondent that the suspect’s
family reported at the police station that the death resulted from an accident.
The source said, “The baale and the woman got married three
years ago without a child and they had been having disagreements. On that
particular day, she destroyed some blocks at the industry. The man became angry
and as he was driving out, he crushed her with his vehicle on the factory
premises.
“The relations of the suspect have said that it was a case
of an accident. But looking at the circumstances surrounding the incident, the
accident claim is untenable.
“He could not have lost control of the vehicle on the
premises as a result of speeding. There is a limit to the speed the car can go
on the premises.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chike
Oti, who confirmed Rotimi’s death, said the command would investigate the
matter to unravel the motive behind the baale’s action.
He said, “We are investigating the matter to find out what
transpired between the man and his wife before the incident happened. They were
having family issues, which led the woman to the block industry to destroy
things.
“We want to know whether what the man did was a reaction to
what his wife did. We believe there is more to the ‘accident’ than meets the
eye because there was an altercation between them before the incident occured.”
The PPRO added that the case had been transferred to the
Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence
Department, Yaba.
Source:Punch
Tags
Crime