A landlord, Akinola Agbede, has been allegedly hacked to death by hoodlums who invaded his residence (street) in the Ajuwon area of Akute, a border in Ogun and Lagos states.
PUNCH Metro gathered that the hoodlums perpetrated the crime after Agbede reprimanded two suspects who were apprehended for stealing shawarma at a shop close to his residence.
A resident in the area, who does not want his name mentioned for security reasons, while chronicling the circumstances surrounding Agbede’s death, told our correspondent that the two suspects, after being cautioned and released by elders in the community, allegedly mobilised the hoodlums to attack the deceased at his residence.
Prior to the attack, the source said the suspects had threatened to cut Agbede’s hand for hitting one of them when they were being paraded in the community for stealing shawarma.
The resident said, “We were told one of the boys stole shawarma. When the boy stole the shawarma, some elders in the area caught him and his accomplice and paraded them in the area. They were made to kneel down and given some other punishments.
“When Agbede came around, he wondered why the suspects, whose ages were between 21 and 25, would be stealing. He asked why they decided to be stealing at such a young age and hit one of them with his hand. He later left the place and the elders in the community released the suspects afterwards.
“But after some time, one of the boys (suspects) told Agbede that they would cut the hand he used in hitting them. A day before they attacked Agbede at his house, the suspects used dangerous weapons including broken bottles to chase him in the area.”
The source, however, noted that Agbede was at home with his family members when the suspects and their accomplices invaded the premises and used a machete to hack him to death in front of his wife, (name).
He said, “Agbede was stabbed to death with a machete at midnight on June 8. The hoodlums were later arrested by policemen attached to the Ajuwon Police Station.
“It was a sad experience for his family because he was already planning to travel abroad with his wife and children. Because their visas were even ready, he sold his house; he collected N10m and had a balance of N1.5m.
“Agbede’s wife and children had been taken away from the house because of the shock of the incident. I can no longer visit the house also as blood was all over the crime scene.”
The source, while demanding justice for the slain landlord, said the hoodlums were fond of terrorising residents and business owners in the community, adding that after the attack, the suspects, alongside their accomplices, robbed a shop in the area.
In the pictures obtained by our correspondent, Agbede’s corpse was seen lying on a bed in a hospital. Blood stains were also sighted in the pictures.
Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola, while confirming the incident, said three suspects had been arrested.
The PPRO said, “The victim’s name is Akinola Agbede, 43. It was a concerned citizen that called the attention of the DPO to the incident. When he got there, he met Agbede lying down in a pool of blood. The suspects used a machete to cut him all over his body. He was rushed to a hospital in Akute where he died.
“When the suspects got to Agbede’s house, they were demanding his travel documents and money. He did not give them and they killed him and ran away. Three of the boys have been arrested. The case is with the State Criminal Investigation Department.”
