Alleged Oshodi wife killer in bad state, say police

The Lagos State police command has rushed Mr. Jafaru Sougie to hospital following his deteriorating state of health, a source at the state’s Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti Street, Yaba, has informed The Guardian.

It was gathered that the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of SCIID, Mr. Odubela was at the hospital all through yesterday till around 5:30p.m. According to the source, “the man is not in a good state at all. He took poison. He is not well, so we are treating him at the police hospital. You cannot investigate someone who is at the point of death. But once he recovers, we would begin investigation into the case.”

A mammoth crowd had invaded Araromi Street in Oshodi area of Lagos State on Friday after a 49-year-old man, Jafaru allegedly killed his wife of 26 years. The suspect was said to have poisoned himself thereafter and was vomiting in the bathroom when one of their children, Richmond, woke up.

Jafaru had allegedly slit the wife’s throat with a knife around 2a.m. but she was discovered dead around 4a.m. by Richmond and his aunt, who raised the alarm.

The Edo State indigene was reportedly rescued from a mob by policemen from the Akinpelu division and was rushed to a hospital while the wife’s body was deposited in a mortuary. Roseline, aged 46, sold frozen foods in the Ijora area and was said to be the breadwinner of the family as the ‘killer’ husband was jobless.

It was gathered that Jafaru had serially assaulted Roseline on the grounds of being unfaithful. Apart from the infidelity allegation, he reportedly beat the mother of five for collecting gifts from her relatives for the upkeep of the family.

His 16 years old son, Richmond, told newsmen that he could not explain what came over his father to have committed the act, saying he started behaving strangely afterwards.

He had said: “My three siblings, our aunt and I slept in the living room while dad and mum were inside. Around 4a.m., dad called me from the bathroom. I went to meet him but he did not say anything. I went outside to urinate and when I came back, I checked the bathroom and saw him lying down, vomiting some black substance and excreting on his body. I think he poisoned himself. I went to wake mum up to attend to him. But she didn’t wake up.

“I shone a flashlight on her and saw blood on the bed with a wide cut in her neck. I fainted when we discovered she was dead. We later asked dad how it happened, he said somebody entered and did it whereas the compound gate is always locked in the night.

Sequel to last weekend’s tragedy in Oshodi, the state Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) has vowed to ensure diligent prosecution of the ‘killer’ husband.