Man allegedly hacks woman to death over theft accusation

Operatives of Ogun Police Command yesterday arrested one Ejike Okata, 27, for allegedly hacking his neighbour, a 50-year-old woman, Adeyiba Oladipupo, to death with a machete.

It was learnt that the suspect was arrested following a report by the younger brother to the deceased at Obalende Police Station in Ijebu Ode.

The complainant had told the police on Friday that his elder sister, who resided at Ayegbami Area of Ijebu Ode was hacked to death by his neighbour over a minor argument. The suspect reportedly bolted immediately after the incident.

However, a statement by the police spokesman in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi on Sunday said the DPO Obalende division, Omonijo Sunday mobilised his detectives to the scene of the crime where the corpse of the victim was recovered and taken to Ijebu Ode General hospital mortuary, for autopsy. Oyeyemi said a manhunt for the fleeing suspect paid off on Sunday when he was arrested by the operatives while he was boarding an Ebonyi State-bound vehicle.

“On interrogation, the suspect who hailed from Onueke in Eza South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State confessed to macheting the deceased to death because she accused him of stealing a phone which infuriated him.

“He confessed further that he cut off the woman’s two hands because she wanted to struggle for the cutlass with him,” Oyeyemi said in the statement.

He, however, added that the Commissioner of Police, Kenneth Ebrimson, had ordered the immediate transfer of the suspect to the homicide section of the state criminal investigation and intelligence department for further investigation and prosecution.