The family and three children of the woman allegedly murdered by an alfa in Badagry area of Lagos State two weeks ago are still in shock over the manner of her death, writes GBENGA ADENIJI
The three children of the late Mrs.
Oluwakemi Afolabi, murdered in Ikoga Zebbe area of Badagry, Lagos State
on Sunday, March 19, by an Alfa, looked forlorn as our correspondent
entered their modest apartment located in Ojodu, Berger area of the
state.
If wishes could raise the dead, eldest of the trio, Motunrayo, would waste no time in resurrecting her mother.
“She was a good mother who ensured we
lacked nothing. Since the death of our father, she made sure we got the
best especially in the area of education. We do not even know that we
have no father because she filled the vacuum well. For us, she also
refused to remarry but we felt she would have to do that someday because
of the way society sees mature female adults without husbands,” the
18-year-old said amid sobs.
She also told SUNDAY PUNCH that on the day her mother was murdered, she received a ‘strange’ telephone call, hastily dressed and left the house.
Motunrayo, who is preparing for the
Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination, told our correspondent
in a broken voice, that the deceased only gave her some money to cook
for the family when she asked her where she was going.
It was also learnt that the 38-year-old
lady, who hailed from Oka Akoko, Ondo State, lost her husband four years
ago. She also owned a ‘provision’ store not far away from where she
lived.
Reports indicated that the deceased went to meet an unnamed alfa for unknown reasons in Sango area of Ogun State who connived with his accomplices in Badagry to kill her for ritual purposes.
The police have, however, arrested one
Taofik Hassan, who beheaded her and later dismembered her remains. The
suspect was apprehended while going to deliver the body parts he severed
from her corpse to the alfa in Sango Ota. Hassan claimed that one Baba Ronke in Badagry and another alfa
in the Sango area of Ogun State; who are on the run, told him on Friday
prior to the Sunday the woman was killed that a female client would be
lured to a spot in Badagry. He said he was instructed to kill her and
remove some of her body parts for a client who wanted specific human
parts.
He also claimed to have been paid N4,000
for the dastardly act. “I asked her where she was from and she said
Ojodu Berger. I pitied her but had no choice. I later told her to kneel
down and she obeyed. I noticed that she had been charmed and I later
killed her,’’ Hassan told a mob.
Motunrayo, who tried in futility to stop tears flowing from her face as she spoke to our correspondent,
said, “On Sunday morning, she received a
strange call and quickly dressed to go out. I asked her where she was
going to and she only gave me some money to cook meals. She said she
would soon return to eat.
“When she did not return after many
hours, I tried her phone and it was switched off. I later became worried
and called some of her friends and the person who used to supply goods
to her provision store but they told me they did not know her
whereabouts.’’
She added that she was advised to report
her as missing in a nearby police station, stating, “When we got there,
we were told to try her phone and it rang but later switched off. I
later learnt that an alfa lured her to Badagry to kill her.’’
Our correspondent gathered that the
deceased used to receive strange calls and ensured her children were out
of earshot anytime she wanted to talk on the phone.
Motunrayo said, “She was not that way
before as she always shared things with me. There was a time she told me
that an unknown man came to her store to tell her what was bothering
her. She said her late mother told her that she was surprised how he
knew what she was experiencing since she never met him before and he
also gave her his number to keep in touch.
“Some months back, I noticed that she
started keeping secrets and always saying she needed money without
saying what she wanted to use it for. She used to tell me to go and stay
in her store and attend to customers that she wanted to go to the
market to buy things. Whenever she returned from such outings, I would
ask her the things she went to buy and she used to say she did not see
what she went for. Even if she had to die, I would not want my mother to
die the way she died. I have yet seen her remains because police said
investigations were ongoing on the matter.’’
On Friday before her death, Motunrayo
said her mother asked her to use her (mother’s) debit card to withdraw
the sum of N31,000 recently paid into her account by one of her debtors.
She added. “When I gave her the money,
she brought out some money which she borrowed from some people and told
me to count them. I was surprised that she borrowed money. The total was
N500,000 and she said she was going to use it to buy goods but I did
not see anything she bought with the money. I am beginning to think that
she was told not to disclose anything to anybody because she refused to
tell me anything,’’ she said.
As Motunrayo spoke in a misery-laden
voice, her two younger brothers came out of one of the rooms into the
living room, with the older of the two holding a family album. They
later settled in a settee and started feasting their eyes on the
photographs in the album for about 10 minutes.
The elder of the boys thereafter removed
two photographs — the one their late mother took with some friends
and her late husband — took a pencil and a plain paper and began to draw
the latter picture.
“He likes drawing and draws well. But I
do not know why he wants to draw our late parents,’’ Motunrayo said
softly as she wiped her tears.
A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told SUNDAY PUNCH
that the ritualists could have made huge financial requests from the
deceased. The source added that the deceased once confided in a close
friend that she wanted to sell a building she was about to complete in
Mowe area of Ogun State.
“I guess she was discouraged from doing
that. The person wondered why she would want to do such but she did not
tell why and what she needed money for. The police must find the
masterminds of the act so others would not be their victims. There is
more to tell the public particularly about what brought her to them and
why she was killed. I think they decided to murder her after taking so
much from her. They were obviously hiding something. They also took
advantage of the fact that she has no husband because, ordinarily, a man
would have become suspicious of her movements and the demands the alfa was making on her would have been long exposed,’’ the source noted.
The deceased’s younger brother,
Tajudeen, who lamented the manner of his sister’s death, said her family
was optimistic that the police would get to the root of the matter and
get justice for the family.
Tajudeen said, “We are six children;
four girls and two boys. She was the third child while I am the fourth.
She was well loved in the area she lived because of her amiable nature.
Though I do not visit her often because of my job, I talked to her
frequently on the phone. I never knew she was involved with any Alfa.’’
The majority of the residents in the
area decried the callous manner the woman was murdered, noting that her
death was like a dream.
Two of the persons living in the area
where the deceased’s store is located burst into tears when they came to
commiserate with the children.
One of them, Mr. Ola Fasola, said the late woman was considerate and selfless as he rained curses on her killer.
Fasola said, “She was a good woman. She
always encouraged me a lot and was jovial. I am surprised how she fell
into the hands of the crooks. Why are human beings so wicked? Those who
killed Mama Motunrayo must be found and made to face the music. She was a
wonderful woman who would leave her own problems to help other people. I
saw her briefly on Friday before she was killed on Sunday.’’
A woman, identified only as Mrs. Oluwaropo, who came with Fasola, could not conceal her grief.
She said the late woman was a friend of
all and did not discriminate based on religion, ethnicity or status.
Oluwaropo added that the future of the deceased’s children was vital as
they had to carry on with life having lost both parents.
When contacted on the matter, the
spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, ASP Olarinde
Famous-Cole, said investigation was ongoing on the matter.
He said the police were analysing the
deceased’s outboard and inboard phone call history to know what led to
her death and those responsible.
Famous-Cole added, “Investigation is
ongoing on the matter. We are interrogating the suspect arrested in
connection with the act. He will be charged to court. When the suspect
was arrested, his accomplices fled but we are conducting a discreet
investigation to arrest all those involved in the murder. The police are
on top of the situation and the public should be assured that those
involved in the act will be arrested and prosecuted.’’
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