Tragedy struck on Ugiagbe Street, off First Ugbor Road, in the Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, when a middle-aged major in the Nigerian Army, Afisatu Ajuya, was allegedly murdered by her security guard and eight others.
It was gathered that Ajuya, who was serving in one of the South-South states, had returned from a journey at about 9.30pm on Saturday when she was received by her guard, said to be of Hausa extraction.
The guard was reported to have offered her assistance with her luggage before descending on the victim.
It was learnt that the guard was immediately joined by eight others, who allegedly stabbed her with metal objects.
It was gathered that the suspects later took their victim into her apartment where they strangled her.
They poured petrol on her corpse and set it ablaze before stealing some of her valuables, including three laptops, cash and jewellery.
It was also learnt that the guard later raised the alarm, claiming that his boss had been involved in a fire incident in which she was burnt to death.
Some of the residents who responded to the alert, however, said while efforts were on to move the corpse to a mortuary in an ambulance, the guard was sighted moving the stolen items into an uncompleted building in the area.
Policemen from the Ugbor division were said to have later arrived at the scene and arrested the guard and some of his accomplices.
A resident, who did not want to be named, said, “A woman called me and said the woman died in her bedroom after her house got burnt. So, we went there and saw the woman’s corpse on the ground. It was later that other neighbours told us that she was stabbed and that it was planned by her guard, who connived with other Hausa guards, who no longer work in the area.
“They stabbed her and stole three laptops. I think they collected N600,000 from her because she begged them with money. They took her jewellery and a wristwatch. After killing her, they set the house ablaze.
“Initially, some people thought that the fire was caused by lit cigarettes, but when an ambulance was about to take the corpse away, a neighbour, who was suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her death, saw the guard throwing some of her belongings over the fence into an uncompleted building. People gave him a chase and caught him.”
It was gathered that the incident had generated tension in the community as guards watching over other buildings in the area fled on hearing the news.
A visit to the area on Monday showed that the house of the deceased woman, who reportedly lived alone while her children resided abroad, was shut. But a burnt portion of the roof was still visible.
A resident, who did not want to be identified, wondered why the guard would take the life of his boss when they had no issues.
“We are ejecting the Hausa guards from this neighbourhood,” he added.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, confirmed the incident, adding that the hoodlums were being investigated for murder.
He, however, said he could not confirm if the deceased was a major in the Nigerian Army.
He said, “Yes, it was a clear case of murder. The lady was killed for no just cause by the hoodlums, who afer killing her, set her house on fire to cover up their crime.
“However, it is only the Chief of Defence Staff that can say if she was a major or not. But from the information I have, she was just a Nigerian.”
The phone of the spokesman for the 4 Brigade Command of the Nigerian Army, Captain Mohammed Maidawa, rang out. He had yet to respond to a text message as of press time.
It was gathered that Ajuya, who was serving in one of the South-South states, had returned from a journey at about 9.30pm on Saturday when she was received by her guard, said to be of Hausa extraction.
The guard was reported to have offered her assistance with her luggage before descending on the victim.
It was learnt that the guard was immediately joined by eight others, who allegedly stabbed her with metal objects.
It was gathered that the suspects later took their victim into her apartment where they strangled her.
They poured petrol on her corpse and set it ablaze before stealing some of her valuables, including three laptops, cash and jewellery.
It was also learnt that the guard later raised the alarm, claiming that his boss had been involved in a fire incident in which she was burnt to death.
Some of the residents who responded to the alert, however, said while efforts were on to move the corpse to a mortuary in an ambulance, the guard was sighted moving the stolen items into an uncompleted building in the area.
Policemen from the Ugbor division were said to have later arrived at the scene and arrested the guard and some of his accomplices.
A resident, who did not want to be named, said, “A woman called me and said the woman died in her bedroom after her house got burnt. So, we went there and saw the woman’s corpse on the ground. It was later that other neighbours told us that she was stabbed and that it was planned by her guard, who connived with other Hausa guards, who no longer work in the area.
“They stabbed her and stole three laptops. I think they collected N600,000 from her because she begged them with money. They took her jewellery and a wristwatch. After killing her, they set the house ablaze.
“Initially, some people thought that the fire was caused by lit cigarettes, but when an ambulance was about to take the corpse away, a neighbour, who was suspicious of the circumstances surrounding her death, saw the guard throwing some of her belongings over the fence into an uncompleted building. People gave him a chase and caught him.”
It was gathered that the incident had generated tension in the community as guards watching over other buildings in the area fled on hearing the news.
A visit to the area on Monday showed that the house of the deceased woman, who reportedly lived alone while her children resided abroad, was shut. But a burnt portion of the roof was still visible.
A resident, who did not want to be identified, wondered why the guard would take the life of his boss when they had no issues.
“We are ejecting the Hausa guards from this neighbourhood,” he added.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Johnson Kokumo, confirmed the incident, adding that the hoodlums were being investigated for murder.
He, however, said he could not confirm if the deceased was a major in the Nigerian Army.
He said, “Yes, it was a clear case of murder. The lady was killed for no just cause by the hoodlums, who afer killing her, set her house on fire to cover up their crime.
“However, it is only the Chief of Defence Staff that can say if she was a major or not. But from the information I have, she was just a Nigerian.”
The phone of the spokesman for the 4 Brigade Command of the Nigerian Army, Captain Mohammed Maidawa, rang out. He had yet to respond to a text message as of press time.
Tags
Crime