The Lagos State Police Command has revealed how a Togolese cook, Sunday Adefonou, allegedly stabbed his boss to death at his Parkview Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos residence.
The suspect, who reportedly stabbed Opeyemi Bademosi on the chest thrice on October 31 and escaped with valuables, was tracked to Ondo where he was arrested on November 2.
The Lagos State Police Command’s spokesman, CSP Chike Oti, said the suspect was availed the services of a French speaking lawyer from the Office of the Public Defender in the course of the investigation.
He said that the journey that eventually ended the life of Bademosi, a business mogul and an Ondo State indigene, began on October 28 when he employed a 22-year-old Togolese as cook.
“On October 31, three days after assuming duty, the suspect, with the intention to rob the deceased, made his way to his boss’ bedroom through the kitchen to the lobby and then to the room, which was the scene of the crime when he observed that the woman of the house, Mrs. Ebunola Bademosi, had left home for a transaction in a neighbourhood bank,” he said.
Oti said the suspect had told the deceased that he was not there to kill him but to get money while armed with a knife.
“According to the suspect, when he got to the deceased’s room and met him on the bed, he said, ‘Chief, I am not here to kill you.’
“The deceased asked him, ‘What do you want?’ and he replied ‘money.’ The deceased said he had no money in the house. At this point, the suspect said he tied him up with a cloth and put him on the floor.
“He went further to say that the deceased, while still on the floor, kicked him, causing the knife he tucked inside his pants to fall off.
“He added that the deceased crawled to pick the knife, but he (the suspect) was faster, and that, as he struggled with him, the knife accidentally pierced the deceased.
“He said that while exiting the room, the deceased took the knife to stab him, so he kicked him and he fell down.
“He then took the knife and stabbed him twice on the chest, which added to three knife stabs.
“When he was done killing the man, he entered his bathroom and threw away his apron already stained with blood and the kitchen knife used as murder weapon.
“He, thereafter, heard a knock on the kitchen door, and, sensing it must be the deceased’s wife, he ran out of the room and exited from the sitting room door.
“He was confronted by the guard at the gate, one Nura Mamudu, who asked him where he was hurrying to and he replied that ‘madam sent me on an errand.’
“Finding himself in the street, he came across men loading cement into a truck. He assisted them and they rewarded him with a lift to Ondo State and N500.00 given to him by the truck driver in appreciation.” Oti said.
The PPRO added that investigation revealed that the deceased’s wife entered the crime scene through the sitting room after knocking several times on the kitchen door without response from the suspect.
He said that the deceased, some minutes before his death, called his wife, Ebunola Bademosi on phone, complaining that the suspect broke into his bedroom uninvited.
“The suspect broke down in tears and confessed to the act after he was confronted with evidence of the CCTV footage.
“The suspect led the investigation team to the crime scene, demonstrating and reconstructing how he carried out the crime.
“The samples recovered from the scene of the incident have been handed over to Forensic and DNA Department of Ministry of Justice for examination and analysis,” Oti added.
Oti said that the autopsy report attributed the cause of death to (a) Bilateral Haemothorax (b) Laceration of the lung and intercostal vessels and (c) Multiple sharp force trauma to the chest.
He said other suspects — Kofi Friday, Agbeko Ayenahin, Salisu Hussein and Nura Mamudu — were not linked to the crime.
“Investigation has established a prima facie case of armed robbery/murder of one Opeyemi Bademosi, male, aged 67 years, against Sunday Adefonou Anani, male, 22 years.
“It is evident that the suspect, single handed, committed the crime by stabbing Mr. Opeyemi Bademosi to death with a kitchen knife with intent to steal from him.
“To this end, the suspect will be arraigned in court, while the other suspects who are not linked to the crime will be released to reliable sureties.
“The Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Edgal Imohimi, has directed that the case file be duplicated and forwarded to the office of the Directorate of Public Prosecution for vetting and legal advice.
“He thanked Lagosians for keeping faith with the Police and for their patience throughout the duration of the murder investigation, which took the command a record of two days to unravel and apprehend the author of the crime, Sunday Adefonou Anani.
“He enthused that criminal investigation has gone beyond the era of rule of thumb to an era of scientific and research-based investigation in Lagos State Police Command,” Oti said.