The wife of
the late Chairman of Credit Switch Technology, Chief Ope Bademosi, who was
murdered at his Parkview Estate residence in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State, has
been interrogated by the police.
Owojela's
Blog learnt that the widow was invited to make a statement following the arrest
of the Togolese cook suspected to have murdered her husband.
It had been
reported that the cook, identified as Sunday Anani, allegedly stabbed his boss
with a knife on Wednesday, October 31, 2018, three days after he was employed.
It was
alleged that the suspect fled the home with some valuables belonging to his boss
after committing the crime.
The father
of four, Bademosi, was reportedly found in a pool of blood by his wife.
The
22-year-old Anani was reportedly arrested by the Ondo State Police Command
around 9.30am in Yaba, Ondo Town, on Friday.
Anani, who
denied involvement in the murder, claimed that he and the victim were attacked
by robbers, who demanded money from his boss.
He claimed
that when the assailants were not satisfied with what they got, they killed the
late Bademosi.
The case,
which was reported at the Ikoyi Police Station, was subsequently transferred to
the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence
Department, Yaba, Lagos.
There were
reports on Monday that the deceased’s wife had been arrested by the police over
the incident.
A police
source, however, said the woman was “invited” after the Togolese denied
involvement in the murder.
“We had to
invite the woman after the Togolese denied killing him. And she made her
statement. Essentially, the statements of the two of them were not different.
The woman said she went out when the thing happened and the Togolese confirmed
that. All evidence still points to the Togolese cook,” he said.
Another
police source at the SCIID said the deceased’s wife was invited because she was
the complainant in the case.
The source
stated, “The woman was invited because she made the initial report at the Ikoyi
Police Division. Since she is the complainant, it is only normal for her to be
invited to make a statement. As I speak, we don’t have anything on her and she
is not being detained.
“The main
suspects in custody are the Togolese cook, the person who harboured him in Ondo
State where he was arrested, and the gateman of the house. If at the end of
investigation the cook is innocent, the appropriate thing will be done. But we
will certainly get to the root of the case.”
An audio
clip had circulated on the social media on Monday in which an unidentified man,
who spoke in an Ondo dialect on the telephone, was purportedly talking to
another man he identified as ‘Iroko’ and accusing the widow of the deceased as
being responsible for the murder and that the police had arrested her.
This fuelled
insinuations that the ‘Iroko’ was the Presidential candidate of the Zenith
Labour Party and a former Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, who goes
by same appellation as his political identity.
Reacting to
this, Mimiko said in a statement, “I am forced to react to an audio message
purportedly between a person called Iroko and an unidentified Ondo guy
concerning the investigation into the gruesome murder of Chief Ope Bademosi, a
fellow Ondo indigene.
“After
receiving several calls from people, it became exigent on me because of the
similarity to my political appellation of ‘Iroko’, to declare unequivocally
that I neither entered into any such discussion with anybody nor did I have any
inkling into the thrust of law enforcement’s investigation into the killing.
“As someone
close to me, I have, in company with other friends, paid a condolence visit to
the wife a day after the passing of Chief Bademosi. People of good conscience
should be repulsed and affronted by the dastardly use to which unconscionable
people have put the social media.”
Meanwhile,
the deceased’s family on Monday urged the public to avoid speculation on those
behind Bademosi’s killing.
A
representative of the family, Fiyinfoluwa Bademosi, in a statement, said they
were waiting for the outcome of police investigation.
He said,
“The family appreciates the genuine condolences and prayers from all and
sundry, as we mourn the departure of a great man, business icon, community
leader and a loving family man.
“It is,
however, with a heavy heart that the family, at this moment of grief, will have
to be inundated with statements and insinuations on the social media from
frivolous individuals, who have no business in representing the family on this
matter.
“I want to
use this opportunity to appeal to all our friends, associates and the public in
general to please disregard any statements from any quarters other than from
the immediate family, which I solely represent and solicit your continued
prayers and well wishes.
“The family
is united and the comfort of the Lord is our strength. In due time, the
obsequies will be made public. Meanwhile, we are awaiting the conclusion of
police investigations.”
The Lagos
State Commissioner of Police, Edgal Imohimi, during a briefing at the command
headquarters, Ikeja, said the command was still investigating the incident.
Imohimi
noted that the police were still awaiting the autopsy report and results from
forensic experts, adding that a comprehensive report would be released to the
public at the end of investigation.
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