Ogun ex-convict stabs colleague to death, flees

An ex-convict has allegedly stabbed his colleague, known simply as Dada, to death following an argument in Akute, Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State.

PUNCH Metro gathered on Sunday that the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Saturday, threw the community into panic as shop owners hurriedly closed their stores and fled the area.

Although eyewitnesses could not ascertain what led to the argument between the suspect, who was described as notorious for crimes, and the victim, our correspondent learnt that the suspect immediately fled the scene after stabbing the victim in the neck.

An eyewitness identified only as Gabriel told our correspondent on Saturday that trouble started when Dada stabbed the suspect in the hand during an argument.

“They were arguing with each other. Dada was the first person to stab the suspect in the hand. Everyone here knows the suspect as very notorious. He just returned from prison.

“People who witnessed what happened immediately advised Dada to leave the area. But he didn’t listen. This time, the suspect had left the area after that cut. A few minutes later, he just returned with a weapon.

“He stabbed Dada in the neck. Bystanders applied pressure to the wounds, but he died en route to the hospital.”

Another eyewitness named Samuel claimed that Dada’s body was abandoned on the roadside after he passed away on the way to the hospital.

“Some people rushed him to the hospital. But when they discovered he had died, they left the corpse on the road before calling the police to inform them about what had happened.

“Some officers immediately arrived at the area and started raiding anyone found loitering around the bus stop.”

A police source who spoke to PUNCH Metro on the condition of anonymity because of a lack of authorisation to speak on the issue said the suspect was notorious in the area.

“There is a place under the Akute bridge. These hoodlums usually use the place as a hideout. The hideout is where the incident occurred. The man who was killed was popularly known as Dada. I am not sure about the name of the suspect.

“If you check under the bridge, the chairman has begun to fence it so that these hoodlums would not use the place for shelter.

“There are reports of phone theft and all manner of crimes in the area. If you pass that place at night, it is a problem. That is why our men are usually stationed there at night. We are still looking for the suspect.”

Contacted on Sunday, the Ogun State Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Opeyemi Oluborode, who confirmed the incident in a WhatsApp message, said the command was on the trail of the suspect.

He wrote, “The command is very much aware of the case. And has seriously intensified efforts to track down and apprehend the fleeing suspect.”

PUNCH Metro reports that this is the second time a fatal stabbing has been reported in the area, following another incident that occurred in February, where a commercial motorcyclist was also stabbed to death by a member of a transport union tax collection group, popularly known as agberos, following an argument over a N100 ticket.

The incident sparked protests by commercial motorcyclists across Lambe, Agbado and Akute communities.