Family still in shock, anguish
Nigerians, especially friends and associates of Temidayo Adeleke, the
bride-to-be stabbed to death by her steward, at her Ikoyi, Lagos house on
Tuesday, have taken to the social media to rain curses at her killer,
22-year-old Joel Ludguo, even as relations soaked her Prince Tayo
Adesanya Street, Lake View estate, Ikoyi, residence in tears.
The 33-year- old late Dayo’s gruesome murder has triggered shock, anguish
numbness and confusion as she was reported to be neck deep in the arrangements
for her wedding next year
Outrage has continued to trail the killing on the various social media
platforms since the news broke midweek, with many commentators and friends
cursing her killer and paying the deceased a flurry of tributes.
One of Dayo’s devastated friends, Gbemi evoked pathos on Instagram, where
she shared a photo they both took together recently. In her comment, Gbemi said
they had met few weeks ago to discuss her upcoming wedding. “My heart is
so broken and I can only trust that God needed an angel! This picture is how I
will always remember you and is a tribute to our friendship, since we were
three years old playing in Mulliner Towers up until a few weeks ago when I saw
you at dinner and we were discussing your upcoming wedding!
You lived life on
your own terms and always had a way of making me laugh out loud! I still
remember my birthday trip in Barbados when you insisted we swim with the
turtles and then as soon as it came near you, you screamed that it molested
you. That still makes me chuckle every time I remember that! I love you girl
and i can’t believe you have left us way too soon! Rest in perfect peace!”
Another visibly shaken Nigerian, Amanda Chisom, was particularly incensed at
Dayo’s tragic fate, noting that it could happen to anyone. She poured out her
worries on her Facebook wall: ““You do not owe anybody anything, do not try to
consider what will happen if you sack them or stop using their services. The
world is full of serious, committed people, use their help and let the horny,
greedy and incapable people go find another person.
Why is this girl’s death
paining me,? This could easily be me or any of my single friends who work too
hard to do certain things themselves”.
An anonymous individual after reading the story on a blog was full of rage
as he blasted and called on Nigerians to shun employing non-Nigerians,
apparently reacting to reports that the killer- help hand was a Cameroonian
refugee until Dayo picked him from the streets and gave him a means of
livelihood.
He comments: “When will Nigerians stop employing all these
foreigners as cooks and drivers? My aunt who lives at Lekki almost lost her
life too, but her cook made away with her Jewellery and other valuables in the
house. We think Nigerians are bad, but I tell you these Cameroonians,
Ghanaians, Togolese, etc are worse than our brothers.
They come to our country,
take the jobs from our people. Thereafter, they loot from their employees and
sometimes kill them as well. Then they run back to their country. NIGERIANS
WAKE UP. R.I.P young lady”
The dancing video alleged to have been uploaded on Instagram by the suspect
same day Dayo died has continued to trend online drawing the ire of
commentators. It was seen as a “victory dance” and has not only attracted
multitude of viewership, but countless curses and vituperation on his instagram
page.
Below are a few of them dnova710: “Idiot… You shall never know peace even
in death.
Omo ale jatijati”
chi_natural: “This is the bastard
that killed his boss”
officialhushfanpage: “You were taken from church
and housed, clothed and given work. The way you repay that is to stab her in
the chest, right? You will reap everything you have sown in a thousandfold. The
heartache you have caused to many, that’s all you will know for the rest of
your miserable life.”
Hrmolorisandra: “Killer. God will avenge her death, watch God. He’s a
silent judge. Mad man jumping up and down like a possessed demon. Who would
have thought that your other personality is being a murderer.”
In contrast to the roiling atmosphere on the web, however, the mood at
Dayo’s home is somber, reflecting the misfortune that has hit her family.
For her family members and loved ones it will certainly be a sad Christmas
as they grieve over the violent death of their daughter.
Sympathizers, friends and family members who throng the Ikoyi home are still
trying to make sense of the tragedy.
Wearing long faces, many of them lacked words to express how they really felt
Saturday Sun saw mourners, men and women, leaving the residence of
the Adelekes, talking in dejected and hushed tones.
A condolence register has been opened at the entrance of the living room,
with late Dayo’s photograph and candles burning slowly by the side. Entries
mostly eulogizes the deceased and bade her a peaceful farewell.
Even though members of the family refused to officially comment on the
incident, a relation, who spoke to
Saturday Sun in confidence, said the
family has left whatever necessary steps to be taken about the case to the
government.
When pressed further about the behavior of the alleged killer, he said that:
‘’Talking about Joel is not our business. It is the police and the government’s
job to punish his offence, not ours. We don’t want to put sensation into it.
When we are ready to let the press report the story and the stand of the
family, we will write a press release and make it official.
“It is a big tragedy that has befallen us and we are trying to take our loss
like humans. She was killed. It is different from when someone dies a natural
death. We can’t even let her mother hear about it.’’
The source expressed disappointment at the different versions of the story
that has been trending on the internet, saying they were mostly false and
distorted. He urged the media to refrain from false publication or face the
family’s wrath.
“We don’t like what some media outlets are writing, they are publishing
false report. They didn’t get many things right, what happened before her death
and the circumstances surrounding her death,’’ he complained.
On a paper pasted on the door was an appeal to visitors to keep their voices
low and refrain from discussing the incident with Dayo’s mother.
However, Adeleke would not be the first or only employer to be murdered by callous
and bloodthirsty employees or aides.
The police stations and courtrooms are replete with cases of aggrieved
workers acting alone or in concert to put their masters, mistress or their
close relations to death.
For instance, a 50-year-old businesswoman’s decomposing body was found
in her apartment last week at the Victoria Garden City, VGC, in August. She was
allegedly murdered by her gate man, following an argument over the latter’s
salary.
It was gathered that the deceased, Mabel Okafor, who lived alone in her
palatial duplex at House J68B, Close 9, VGC, Ajah, had no domestic worker
except the gate man.
The gate man, with an undisclosed identity, reportedly resumed work about
two months before the incident brought by the deceased’s former gate man.
One of her neihbours said: “Nobody knew that the woman was dead until last
Friday. We learned that she was stabbed last Wednesday, but it was not until
her church members visited on Friday that they found her decomposing body.
“The gate of the building was only bolted, but not locked when the church
members came. “One of them said they became apprehensive after several calls to
her mobile telephone indicated that her line was switched off, prompting them
to pay her a visit, only to be welcomed with a stench from her room. “Her body
was found on the floor of the sitting room downstairs, with a knife protruding
out of her stomach.
“After her death, some gate men from the suspected culprit’s ethnic group
said he had boasted that he would leave an indelible mark on her madam,
following argument over increase in his salary. “They said he claimed he was
being paid N20,000 but demanded an increase of N10,000, which the woman
refused. The fleeing gate man was quoted by some gate men here to have argued
that he usually washed his madam’s car and also swept the compound.”
Another resident, who simply gave his name as Goke, said: “Police have not
been able to get the gate man since the incident occurred, neither have they
been able to reach the one that brought him. In fact, the gate man went away
with her phone. We have been warned several times to employ private guards from
registered security companies, but some landlords here do not heed the advice.”
Also, on May 6, 2015, a 65-year-old beer parlour operator, Agnes Elue
residing at No 293B Agbani road in Enugu was killed by the house help over
issues of fund diversion.
The suspect, Joseph Ijeh had lived with the deceased for over 20 year. It
was gathered that the suspect had over the years built confidence on his
ability to run the beer parlour until recently when the proprietress noticed
that he (Joseph) had not been rendering proper account.
On the ill fated day, Agnes beckoned on Joseph to render account of sales
made during the period in review. This, however, allegedly infuriated Joseph
and he went for the kill. According to the Police Public Relations Officer,
PPRO, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, DSP, “Unknown to Agnes, rather than furnish her with
the account, Joseph armed with pestle, hit Agnes at the back of the head and she
died immediately.
The suspect hid the corpse in one of the rooms for days
before operatives got wind of the crime. They swung into action and arrested
the suspect.
Also in 2014, the police in Lagos arrested an 18- year- old boy, Hounvenou
Yavine, a Beninoise, for slitting the throat of his boss’ mother, Mrs. Mariam
Abiola.
Yavine was brought into Lagos in April 2014 by his elder sister on the
request of late Mrs. Abiola’s daughter. He was then taken to the Ikeja home of
the late 78- year -old woman to serve as her house help as well as an assistant
at her alcohol distribution shop.
A month after his arrival, her home was
demolished by the state government, prompting her to temporarily relocate to
her daughter’s home at the Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate, where his primary
assignment was to take care of her and also clean her daughter’s house. On July
1 of that year, Yavine, who was alone at home with the old woman, slit her
throat and left her to die.
No one knew why he killed the woman, but when
asked, the young boy said someone asked him to kill her.
Yasvine was arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate court where a one count
charge of murder was read to him.
In Ogun, a
State High Court sentenced a 21-year old house help to
death by hanging for killing his former boss, a retired Chief Magistrate in
March last year.
The court, sitting in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, found David Ndah,
21, guilty of killing Funmilayo Timehin, 65, at her Laderin Estate Residence in
Abeokuta.
David, an Igede indigene from Benue State, was a former house help of late
Madam Timehin, but was sacked for alleged stealing of mobile phones and
jewellery.
Again in 2012, a manager and a housemaid were arrested by the Lagos State
Police Command, Ikeja for allegedly killing their boss,.
The victim whose name was given as Alhaja Sikirat Eko of Omole Phase 1,
Lagos State was until her untimely death the owner of a restaurant and bar
located in her compound, where she lived alone with the maid.
The suspects, according to the police authorities reportedly murdered Eko at
her home located on 5, Babatunde Ladega Street and threw her corpse into a well
.
After the gruesome murder, the manager and the maid continued managing the
bar, claiming that their boss had travelled.
The suspects met their waterloo when relatives of the late Eko came on a
visit and demanded for the deceased’s whereabouts, and having failed to give a
reasonable answer, the relatives reported to the case to Area G Command, in
Ogba.
The manager was reportedly using the deceased’s phone and assumed her
identity. Sometimes, he would send text messages with her phone, telling people
that all was well.”
Source:The Sun