Man, 29, attempted to kill mother for money ritual

The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a 29-year-old man, Taiwo Akinola, who allegedly attempted to kill his mother, Mrs Alice Akinola, for money ritual purposes. The command’s spokesman, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the arrest in a statement. He alleged that the suspect was arrested on Sunday at about 8.30am, at No. […]

The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the arrest of a 29-year-old man, Taiwo Akinola, who allegedly attempted to kill his mother, Mrs Alice Akinola, for money ritual purposes.

The command’s spokesman, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the arrest in a statement.

He alleged that the suspect was arrested on Sunday at about 8.30am, at No. 2, Raji Ajanaku St., Alaja Road, Ayobo, a suburb of Lagos.

Oti said the alleged incident happened in a flat where the suspect, his mother and his 14-year-old nephew were living.

The statement said, “In a carefully thought-out plan to kill his mother, Taiwo, said to be a staunch member of the notorious Aiye Confraternity, went to the victim’s provision store in front of their apartment.

“There, he told his mother to meet him inside the house for an important discussion.

“At the same time, he sent his nephew, Faruk, to go and buy for him a white handkerchief and a stick of cigarette.

“But as soon as his mother entered the house, the suspect attacked her, smashing a plank on her head, applied a pressing iron and a UPS charger to ensure she did not survive the ferocious attack.’’

The statement said “When Faruk returned from the errand, he did not see his grandmother in the shop so he went into the house only to see the old woman lying in a pool of blood.

“Shocked by what he saw, the small boy raised an alarm which attracted neighbours to the scene.

“They called the police from Ayobo Division who on arriving at the scene promptly arrested the suspect.

“They also secured the scene for further investigation by police forensic experts attached to the Homicide Section at the SCIID Panti, Yaba,” Oti said.

Oti added that the victim was rushed to an undisclosed hospital for medical attention.

“Right now, doctors are battling to revive Mrs Akinola who is still unconscious,’’ he said.

Oti also said the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, CP Imohimi Edgal, had paid the initial hospital bill which enabled the doctors to commence treatment on the victim.

He said the suspect had allegedly confessed that he was asked to kill his mother and become stupendously wealthy.

He also said in the statement that police detectives found two calabashes in the suspect’s room, with one of them containing a human skull and the other a mixture of concoctions.

Oti said the police also found a plank perforated with nails stained with blood and a blood-stained pressing iron in the suspect’s room.

He added that other exhibits recovered from the suspect’s room were: a white handkerchief with which the suspect wanted to scoop the victim’s blood and a bottle containing oil and labelled back-to-sender.

The command’s spokesman also quoted the CP as charging Lagosians to rise against all forms of crime and criminality.

He said the command triumphed over the menace of the Badoo cult group with the help of useful and timely information from the public.

The CP was quoted to have added that the time had come to flush out street cult groups.

He said that complacency was not an option in the face of threat to peace and security posed by nefarious associations. (NAN)