A taxi driver in the Federal
Capital Territory, Sikiru Lamidi has been arrested by detectives from Apo
Divisional Police Station, Abuja for allegedly killing a former Nigerian
ambassador to South Africa, Ngam Nwachukwu, on November 24, last year.
Lamidi, from Oyo town in Oyo
State, was apprehended at his home town where he was hiding after selling Nwachukwu’s
Lexus SUV with Abuja registration number, YAB 938 MC.
The police, subsequently,
recovered the vehicle which was sold with forged documents to one Femi Adeyemi.
A policeman, who asked not to be
named, said the deceased, who was 75 years old before he died, had chartered
the suspect’s cab on November 23, 2016 and in the course of taking him around
informed him about his car which had a mechanical fault.
Lamidi was said to have offered
to take the ex-envoy to his brother, a mechanic, who could work on the car and
it was decided that Lamidi would come to the ex-ambassador’s house the
following day.
The driver reportedly showed up
at the ex-envoy’s residence at Villa Nova Estate, Apo, the following day as
agreed.
It was gathered that the deceased
lived alone, and his security guard, who doubled as an electrician, was also
not in the house during Lamidi’s visit.
Investigators stated that
Nwachukwu offered the driver some food but he declined while sitting across
from him at the dining table.
“As the man was eating, the suspect pounced on him and wrestled him to the floor and then stabbed him in the neck with a pair of scissors.
“He stole the plasma television and home theatre in the apartment and went away with the deceased’s Lexus SUV which he sold for N1.480m to one Femi Adeyemi with forged documents,” he said.
On his part, Lamidi told journalists yesterday at the Apo Divisional Police Station that he did not know what came over him, adding that he just found himself stabbing the septuagenarian until he died.
“After stabbing the man, I felt terrible and guilty but there was nothing I could do to reverse the situation,” he said.
After killing Nwachukwu, the
suspect explained that he sold the TV and home theatre audio system to a seller
of fairly-used products at Area 10, Abuja for N38,000.
He said that he kept the SUV in
Sauka Village along Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Road for two weeks
before driving it to Oyo town.
The taxi driver said he gave the
vehicle to one Okuta who assisted him in forging the vehicle documents, adding
that he compensated Okuta with N380,000 after selling the vehicle.
“Out of the remaining N1.1m, I
bought a motorcycle for N180,000 and invested N500,000 in a cooperative
society; I gave a car dealer N500,000 to assist me in getting a car, but he
defrauded me and didn’t provide any vehicle,” Lamidi explained.
When asked if he had committed
similar crimes before, the suspect denied, saying it was his first time.
“I have not committed any crime
before; I blame the devil for this. Sometimes, I entertain negative or diabolical
thoughts, but I don’t smoke or drink,” he added.
Na Today? This man is a born criminal! Police need to investigate him very well. He may be one of those one chance people terrorizing Abuja and environs. This is an armed robbery and murder case! Devil Ko! diabolic Ni!
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