‘I don’t know why I killed my madam…’

Police to charge killer of Lekki businesswoman to court

The 22-year-old suspected murderer, Abdulateef Tanko, from Taraba State, who allegedly killed her employer, a 50-year-old businesswoman, Mabel Okafor, who lived alone at her residence in J68B, Close 9, Victoria Garden City (VGC), Ajah, Lagos, has confessed to the crime, saying he did not kill her boss because of an argument over salary as widely speculated.

Tanko, who was arrested by detectives of the Lagos State police command in Taraba, was paraded last Thursday by the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, Fatai Owoseni, at the command headquarters in Ikeja.

Speaking with The Guardian, Tanko, who fled immediately he discovered his boss was lifeless, said: “I didn’t have any argument with her over my salary. When I resumed, she told me that my salary would be N18,000 and I agreed. I don’t know why I killed her. I am not a member of Boko Haram.

“Her former security guard was the one that gave me her telephone number to come and meet her. I was there for just one month before I decided to kill her. I don’t know her name. I only called her madam.

“Nobody asked me to kill her, I did it myself and I can’t point to one reason why I killed her. It was as if something entered me. When I stabbed her, she fell on the ground and shouted my name. Some neighbours came asking what happened but I told them that Madam saw a cockroach, which was why she shouted my name. They were all convinced and left. It was then that I recovered.

“I stabbed her on the stomach four times. When I saw she was dead, I became afraid and ran back to my village in Taraba State. The incident happened at night. I was already in my village when police arrested me. When she died, I carried her three phones, clothes and N10,000 from her purse. I sold the three phones for N60,000 but I haven’t sold the clothes yet. I am an orphan; I only have two sisters who were also not around when I got home. I live alone.”

While parading the suspects, Owoseni said they had arrested two suspects in connection with the murder, assuring that the culprits would be brought to justice as soon as investigation was concluded.

The police boss added that in the course of ensuring security of lives and property in Lagos, the police have arrested five armed robbery suspects, one kidnapper and also recovered four different arms and five vehicles accordingly last week.

He appealed for continued support from residents to enable the police to make the state uninhabitable for criminals and crooks.