22-year-old
man, Eji Emmanuel, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for the
alleged murder of a 39-year-old trader, Sylvanus Okoye. According to the
police, the suspect stabbed the deceased to death at his home on Ezemegbu
Drive, Okota in August. The suspect, however, explained that he killed the
deceased in self-defence. He alleged that on the day of the incident, Okoye had
attempted to rape him.
Explaining
the events that culminated in Okoye’s death, the suspect said he was a dancer
and was lured to Lagos by a friend, Chukwudi, under the guise of doing music
business only for the friend to introduce him to homosexuality.
He
said he had gone to report the matter to his friend’s boss but his friend’s
boss molested him twice and he reported the matter at the FESTAC Police
Division. He said the matter was transferred to the Zone 2 Police Command and
the case was turned against him after which he spent two weeks in detention.
He
said he had approached Okoye, who he considered an Igbo leader in the state, to
help him with money to return to Anambra State when Okoye also attempted to
rape him.
He
said,
“I
went along with a relative to report the matter to Okoye and he gave my friend
and I N5,000 and shirts. He told us not to worry, so we slept over at his
house. At midnight, however, Okoye came to my room and attempted to made love
with me but I refused him.
“My
relative later told me that Okoye had sex with him in the parlour that same
night. We left in the morning and returned to Anambra State. From there, I went
to Abuja where I remained for four months. However, one day, Okoye called me
that he had a business deal and invited me to come to Lagos.
“I
told Okoye that I would not engage in any act of homosexuality and he agreed.”
The
suspect said when he returned to Lagos, the deceased said he wanted to open a
bar in the area and wanted him to manage the business. He said he passed the
night at the deceased’s home, but at midnight, the deceased crept into his room
and attempted to make love to him.
He
said, “In the evening, Okoye served me with bread, butter and tea in my room.
Around 3.30am, he crept into my room and wanted to sleep with me, but I refused
him.
“Okoye
was a big man so he attempted to overpower me, but I picked up the bread knife
that was still left in the room and stabbed him in the neck, but he did not
die.
“I
picked up a flexible iron and bound it round his neck and locked him inside the
room.
“When
it was 6am, I stepped out of the house and gave the key to one woman beside the
gate and fled.”
The
security guard and the woman whom the suspect handed the key to were arrested
by detectives at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba and after
three months, detectives were able to locate the suspect in Anambra State.
A
police detective said, “The security guard told us that he could identify the
suspect if he saw him.
“In
the course of investigation, we obtained call logs from Okoye’s phone and we
learnt that the suspect had used Okoye’s phone to call his girlfriend in
Anambra State shortly after killing Okoye. We travelled to Anambra State and we
were able to locate the suspect who was even wearing the deceased’s clothes.”
The
suspect, however, insisted that he was not a killer but a victim of
circumstance.
He
said, “My father and my brother are dead. I am the only child of my mother. Who
will take care of her if I am sent to prison? I am not a homosexual but I was
used. I tried for several months to impregnate my girlfriend but was not
successful. I feel they have stolen my virtues.”
Police
Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, confirmed Emmanuel’s arrest, adding that
the police were still working to establish it the the victim was a homosexual
or not as alleged by the suspect.
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