The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 45-year-old father of
five, who allegedly beat his girlfriend to death over suspected
infidelity. The incident occurred on the deceased’s birthday—July 28.
Vanguard gathered that the deceased, identified simply as Happiness,
visited her lover’s home at 5/7 Michael Osisipi Street, off Banjo
Oyewele Street, Ago Palace Way, from where they went to a club around
the area to celebrate her birthday.
Trouble, as gathered, started after the suspect, Victor Umeh, sighted
Happiness discussing with a man, discovered to be her former boyfriend.
The discussion, according to Umeh, a trader at Ladipo Market, lasted
over 15 minutes. He reportedly left the club in anger, leaving the
deceased behind. Time was 12.45a.m. The fight On realising that Umeh had
left, Happiness went to his house, where an argument that degenerated
into a fight ensued. Her shout for help alerted neighbours, including a
gateman, identified simply as Adamu. On reaching Umeh’s flat, he was
reportedly seen trying to hide a substance, which turned out to be late
Happiness’ mobile telephone.
The curious neighbours were said to have searched the flat for the
victim, only to discover her lifeless body behind Umeh’s window.
Policemen at Ago Division were immediately contacted, consequent upon
which Umeh was arrested, from where he was transferred to the State
Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department, SCIID.
His family Investigation revealed that Umeh’s wife and five children
travelled to his village in Orumba South Local Government Area of
Anambra State. Vanguard gathered that immediately after the incident,
the suspect contacted his wife to come to Lagos and move his property to
the village. One of the neighbours, who spoke with Vanguard, said: “Our
gateman allowed her inside that night because she was seen with Victor
the previous day.
The gateman was first alerted by the shout for help and by the time he got close to the window, he saw somebody running.
“Her desperate shout for help was intensive, but with time it became
faint until it stopped. He tried to escape and hide the deceased phone
on a fence so as to make it difficult for the Police to trace her death
to him. If he had succeeded we would have been in trouble.”
How we met—Suspect However, during investigation, the suspect denied being responsible for Happiness’s death.
Rather, he claimed he left her behind at the club, adding that he did
not know how her corpse found its way behind his window. He admitted to
have met her last Wednesday at Cele Bus Stop, from where he brought her
home.
Police sources hinted that marks of violence were found on the
deceased’s body. Policemen at Ago Division took the body to the Isolo
General Hospital Mortuary.
Information at Vanguard’s disposal revealed that the address of the
deceased was unknown. A man who was contacted on her phone admitted to
knowing her, adding that she was from Plateau State.