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By prince Everest
The family members of a bricklayer stabbed to death at his father-in-law’s burial party at Alebiosu Street, Mile 12 area of Lagos State, are seeking justice over the untimely death of their son.
The man identified as Salami was stabbed to death by a hoodlum in the neighbourhood, identified as Michael Adebanjo, who is still at large, Punch Metro reports.
The late in-law was said to be the father of Salami’s second wife, Fatimoh.
City Round learnt that Salami had attended the burial party together with Fatimoh, friends and relatives.
There was normalcy at the venue until the end of the party when Adebanjo reportedly called a 16-year-old sister-in-law of Salami in an attempt to woo her.
It was learnt that Adebanjo got angry because the girl, one Barakat, shunned him.
He was said to have thrown a bottle at the teenager which injured her in the leg.
Adebanjo subsequently went berserk, attacking guests, including Salami, who questioned his excesses.
He reportedly stabbed Salami in the chest and fled the scene having noticed that the victim was bleeding heavily.
It was gathered that the 35-year-old native of Iseyin, Oyo State, was confirmed dead on arrival at the Gbagada General Hospital, while the case was reported at the Alapere Police Station.
The deceased’s second wife, Fatimoh, said the incident had inflicted great pains on the family, urging the police to ensure that the suspected killer was arrested and brought to justice.
She recalled:
“On Saturday, December 15, my husband was with me at the burial party of my father. At the end of the event in the evening, I learnt the man (Adebanjo) called my niece, Baraka. He wanted to woo her, but the girl ignored him. He threw a bottle at her and she sustained an injury in the leg.
“He saw some men in the same dress (Aso Ebi) approaching him. He thought they wanted to fight him and started attacking them. He stabbed my husband in the chest. He also injured one of his (Salami’s) apprentices. He stabbed the boy in three places and the boy is now in a coma. My husband had lost a lot of blood before he got to the hospital.
“It is painful that I will not see him again. We have a daughter, who is very fond of him. They see each other every day. She has been asking me where her father is since he was killed. She is just three years old.”
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Adebanjo was notorious for hooliganism in the neighbourhood and was feared by many.
He said
“Everybody knows him as a criminal. Each time he had an issue with somebody, he would stab the person. He always moved around with a knife. On that fateful day, he had threatened to shoot a landlord who tried to caution him against his bad behaviour.
“He stabbed the man (Salami) for challenging him over the injury he inflicted on a girl who refused to listen to him. It was the following day I learnt the man died from the injury.”
Salami’s confidant in Agiliti, Mile 12, where he lived, described him as a cool-headed and friendly person, adding that he would miss him sorely.
“He was like a son to me. We had been living together as neighbours for about 15 years. His house is beside mine. He was trying to talk to a man who injured his wife’s cousin when this unfortunate incident happened.
“Salami was a responsible and hard-working man. He was a bricklayer; friendly and easy-going. His death is a great loss to his family and the community. His killer must be fished out from wherever he is hiding and made to face the law,” the man who gave his name simply as Philips said.
The deceased’s first wife, Zainab, lamented that the tragedy struck at a time the family was struggling to recover fully from the grief caused by the death of Salami’s mother.
She said,
“He lost his father a long time ago and his mother died in 2017. The wound had yet to heal completely and now he is gone too, leaving me to take care of our two kids all alone. I want justice.”
It was learnt that Salami had been buried according to Islamic rites.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, confirmed the incident. He said the command was on the trail of the suspect, promising that he would soon be arrested.
He said
“A murder case was reported at the station on December 15, 2018 around 9.30pm. We learnt there was a fight between one Michael Adebanjo and Ahmed Salami over a lady called Barakat at Alebiosu.
“In the process, Michael Adebanjo stabbed Ahmed Salami, who died on the way to Gbagada hospital. The suspect is on the run but efforts to arrest him have been intensified.”
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