Vanguard
By Ozioruva Aliu, BENIN CITY
A 23-year-old bricklayer, Adebayo Kingsley, who said he hails from Ibillo in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, has allegedly killed his 46-year-old lover, a widow and mother of four, Rosemary Ifeoma, popularly called Mama Samuel from Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
He was said to have hit the lady with a plank and had carnal knowledge of her thereafter.
He was earlier accused of hitting the head of her 13 years old boy and then pounced on the woman, thinking the son was dead.
Confirming the incident on Tuesday, Police Public Relations Officer, Edo State Command, Kontongs Bello, said the suspect would be charged to court once investigations are concluded.
The incident happened in Darlington Ogbeifun Street, off Ogbekan Village Road, Ugbor in Oredo Local Government Area.
Eyewitness’ account
A resident in the area, who simply gave his name as Peter, said: “This woman we popularly called Mama Samuel was a widow with four children and the last one, who is 13 years, stays with her.
“She was having difficulties paying her rent and then approached a woman in the area whose brother was building a storey building that has been roofed, to allow her stay there pending when she can raise money from her business to get a new accommodation.
“She had a lover, who is a bricklayer, that was coming to see her and people around here know them.
“It was early in the morning on July 16 that her 13 years old son, after regaining consciousness from his confrontation with the suspect in the night, ran to inform neibghours of what has happened.
“He was rushed to the hospital for treatment and later narrated the story of how the suspected attacked them.
“He led others to the place where the suspect was working and immediately he sighted the boy, he took to his heels until he was pursued and arrested by the police.”
Confession
When confronted, the suspect confessed to the crime but said he did not hit the victims with a log.
Rather, he said, in the course of an argument with the woman, “she wanted me to help her with cement to do a caravan.
“But when we did not agree on how to do it, she said I should leave her house. I actually left but missed my way and strayed back to the house.
“But by this time, they had locked the gate, so I jumped into the compound through the fence and entered their room.
“His son threatened to stab me, went into the room and came back with a knife. I rushed at him and pushed him.
“He hit his head on the wall and collapsed. The woman then came after me and held me, but in trying to push her away, she fell and hit her head on the ground and blood was coming from her head.
“I quickly took the boy to the room and put him on the bed and then left. I did not hit anybody with log and I did not sleep with the woman.”
This story first appeared in Vanguard
