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| The couple's home |
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a man, Wahab Lawal, for allegedly stabbing his wife to death in the Oto, Ebute Meta area of the state.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the suspect stabbed his wife, Bola, to death on March 26 after about five failed attempts to take her life.
Friends of the deceased told PUNCH Metro that Wahab was a very hot tempered man who had battered his wife in the past.
When our correspondent visited the deceased’s home, a slum on Balo Street, her room was said to be locked.
A friend to the deceased, Mrs. Hadijat Abdulrasheed, who also lives nearby, told our correspondent that Bola had moved out of her husband’s house prior to the murder.
She said, “We used to call her mama Waliu. She was very hardworking and nice. She had been married before and had three children from her first marriage. After her husband died, she married Wahab and had two children for him. However, the marriage was a loveless one.
“On several occasions, her husband had tried to kill her. In fact, if you take a close look at her body, you will see stab wounds all over. She said one day, when she was sleeping, he hit her in the head with a stool just to wake her up. Another time, he used a screwdriver to stab her in the ear.
“When she was convinced that her husband wanted to kill her, she decided to move out with her children and rent another apartment. However, I told her that instead of renting another room, she should develop her plot of land in Ikorodu and build a small house on it. I told her that in the meantime, she could be staying with me and she agreed.”
Abdulrasheed told our correspondent that while Bola was moving some of her things from the house, Wahab used a knife to stab her.
She said Bola was, however, able to move out from the house, but once in a while, she would go to Wahab’s house to get a few things and look after her children.
“Wahab knew that his wife was staying with me and he was not happy about it, but there was nothing he could do. Bola had to remain in the area because of her children. She was a fruit seller and was providing for the family because Wahab had no job,” Abdulrasheed said.
PUNCH Metro learnt that after Bola had spent a month in her friend’s place, Wahab told her to move back with him.
On March 26, 2014, the suspect was said to have approached Bola and begged her to forgive him but she refused. An argument was said to have ensued afterwards.
Abdulrasheed said, “On the day of the murder, I was not feeling too well and I could not go to my shop. Bola agreed to help me at my shop while I remained at home. I was told that Wahab came to my house to ask after Bola, but he was told that she was not around.
“Mudashiru, who is Bola’s 15-year-old son, said he was with her when Wahab came to see her. He said Wahab begged Bola to move in with him, but she refused. Wahab then stabbed her with a knife which he usually carries around. Bola bled to death.”
Our correspondent learnt that the matter was reported at the Iponri Police Division and Wahab was arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba.
The younger brother to the deceased, Kamoru Madojutola, told PUNCH Metro that the family was aware of Wahab’s violent acts against Bola, describing him as a tout.
“He (Wahab) used to beat her, but his relatives wrote a formal letter to us, promising that he would stop. We had given her money to rent an apartment of her own. I was therefore surprised to hear that he had stabbed her,” he said.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the deceased had been buried according to Islamic rites.
Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, who confirmed the incident said, “On March 26, 2014, around 10.45pm, one Bola Lawal of 45 Balo Street, Oto, was allegedly stabbed to death by her husband, Wahab, over a little misunderstanding. He has been arrested and is being detained at the SCID.”
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