Husband recounts heartbreaking ordeal of wife’s stabbing by apprentice

A prosecution witness, Nurudeen Abdulsalam, yesterday recounted before a Lagos High Court how his wife, Lateefa Oyetunde, was allegedly stabbed by Nureni Kazeem, an apprentice under his employ.

Testifying before Justice Yetunde Adesanya at the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) court in a suit marked LD/21071C/23, Abdulsalam, a carpenter, narrated the events surrounding the October 4, 2022, incident.

The witness revealed that he had been working outside Lagos on the day of the incident and had spoken to his wife between midnight and 1:00 a.m. He was later alerted by a neighbour between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. that his wife had been stabbed, with her intestines exposed.

Unable to return immediately due to a locked gate at his location, Abdulsalam requested his neighbour to take his wife to a hospital. She was initially rejected at a local facility before being attended to at a General Hospital, where first aid was administered. She was then referred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) for surgery.

Abdulsalam said he learned that Kazeem had stabbed his wife and subsequently fled, claiming his mother had died and he needed to travel home. While his wife underwent surgery, Abdulsalam reached out to another apprentice, Opeyemi, who shared a rented apartment with Kazeem, to contact the suspect.

During a phone conversation, Kazeem inquired whether the victim had made any statements. Opeyemi, under instructions, told Kazeem that she had died, prompting Kazeem to request transport fare to attend the purported burial. Abdulsalam ensured the money was sent and informed Kazeem’s father to verify his whereabouts.

Upon Kazeem’s return, Abdulsalam restrained a crowd from assaulting him and took him to Ogombo Police Station. However, the case was transferred to Panti Police Station, where statements were made.

Under cross-examination by the defence counsel, Blessing Ene, Abdulsalam confirmed that Kazeem had worked with him for six to seven months. While they had minor work-related disagreements, he denied that Kazeem exhibited signs of drunkenness or insanity.

When questioned about Opeyemi’s account of the incident, Abdulsalam stated that Kazeem had claimed to be going to the toilet at the time of the attack.

Justice Adesanya adjourned the trial to December 9 and 10, 2024, for continuation.