A traditional ruler in Ise Town, Ibeju Lekki,
Lagos State, Taibu Ogunbanjo, is currently cooling his heels in police custody
for allegedly crushing his wife to death.
The baale runs a block-moulding factory
at Folu, a community in Ibeju Lekki.
Latest Reality Metro learnt that Taibu
and his wife, Rotimi Ogunbanjo, got married three years ago, but the marriage
had been fraught with misunderstanding and fights.
On Thursday, December 7, 2017, the couple
reportedly had a disagreement. After the altercation, Rotimi was said to have
gone to the baale’s factory and damaged some blocks on the premises.
Taibu reportedly entered his Toyota Highlander,
and was driving out of the premises in anger when he knocked down his wife.
A community leader, who identified himself simply
as Akinsipe, said the wife died on the spot, adding that the corpse had been
deposited at the Epe General Hospital.
He said, “He (Taibu) is the baale of the
community. He and his wife had been having issues since they got married. I did
not know what actually happened between them on that day, but I learnt that
they had a disagreement in the morning.
“She went to his block factory and destroyed some
blocks arranged on the premises. He entered his vehicle angrily and as he was
driving out of the premises, the wife tried to stop him. He hit her and she
died on the spot.”
Akinsipe stated that the matter was reported at
the Akodo Police Station, adding that the baale had been arrested.
A police source told our correspondent that the
suspect’s family reported at the police station that the death resulted from an
accident.
The source said, “The baale and the
woman got married three years ago without a child and they had been having
disagreements. On that particular day, she destroyed some blocks at the
industry. The man became angry and as he was driving out, he crushed her with
his vehicle on the factory premises.
“The relations of the suspect have said that it
was a case of an accident. But looking at the circumstances surrounding the
incident, the accident claim is untenable.
“He could not have lost control of the vehicle on
the premises as a result of speeding. There is a limit to the speed the car can
go on the premises.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer,
SP Chike Oti, who confirmed Rotimi’s death, said the command would investigate
the matter to unravel the motive behind the baale’s action.
He said, “We are investigating the matter to find
out what transpired between the man and his wife before the incident happened.
They were having family issues, which led the woman to the block industry to
destroy things.
“We want to know whether what the man did was a
reaction to what his wife did. We believe there is more to the ‘accident’ than
meets the eye because there was an altercation between them before the incident
occured.”
The PPRO added that the case had been transferred
to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence
Department, Yaba.
Post A Comment: