‘Sample Ekwe’ faces murder rap

The crooner, born Osakuni Sunday and goes by the stage name Stereoman was arrested and detained following the death of his erstwhile partner Rukayat Idris, who was found dead April 13 in her car under a bridge in the Mile 2 area of Lagos. Her body was found with marks around her throat, which the […]

The crooner, born Osakuni Sunday and goes by the stage name Stereoman was arrested and detained following the death of his erstwhile partner Rukayat Idris, who was found dead April 13 in her car under a bridge in the Mile 2 area of Lagos.

Her body was found with marks around her throat, which the police say suggest she was strangled and their prime suspect for now is the one time Glo ambassador and crooner of the popular Sample Ekwe song.

The couple had lived together for a couple of years, a source close to the artiste told Sunday Trust, until Rukayat moved out about a year ago. She was said to have complained that the musician was battering her.

Following a recent argument, the artiste was said to have threatened his estranged lover according to the Nigerian police spokesman in Lagos, Mr Joseph Jaiyeoba, which was what prompted his men to pick up the artiste.

“The suspect had two children; one had died mysteriously while the other is more like an imbecile. Apart from that, Ekwe had been quarrelling with his wife and had allegedly threatened to eliminate his wife,” he said.

He added that an autopsy was being carried out to determine the actual cause of death while further investigations are ongoing.

The artiste said he is completely innocent of the allegations against him. While speaking to Sunday Trust on the phone from the panti Yaba police office where he is being held, a distraught Stereoman said he was not responsible for the murder of his “former woman” and said everything being said about the incident is “wrong information.”

He added that he would explain everything in due course after he must have cleared himself from the police.

However, Rukayat’s family members had accused the artiste of having a hand in her death saying when her corpse was discovered, he was contacted and showed no concern over her sudden death. He was also reported not to have turned up promptly enough to identify her corpse days after her death. This prompted the deceased’s family members to allege that he must have had something to do with her death.

But our source insists that the allegations are completely unfounded and maintained that the singer will soon be cleared from the allegation. He described the situation as unfortunate.

Other musicians such as Daddy Showkey and African China were reported to have visited the artiste to show their support.

Sample joins the list of Nigerian celebrities having to face allegations of murder, the most recent being Kannywood star Nura Imam, who is facing charges in a Kano court for allegedly poisoning an infant he was reported to have had outside wedlock. That matter is still pending before the court.

Another Kannywood actress, Rabi Isma’il was recently convicted for the murder of her boyfriend Auwalu Umar in 2002. The actress was handed the death sentence but managed to escape from the prison where she was being held a couple of months ago.

Nollywood actress Ibinabo Fibersima was also convicted of manslaughter in relation to the death of a medical doctor some years ago. She is now reported to be a preacher after being born again at the Kirikiri Prison.