Herbalist beheads lotto operator over accusation of stealing

A herbalist, Idowu Talabi, has been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly beheaded a lotto operator, Isau Oluwatobiloba.

It was gathered that Talabi killed  Oluwatobiloba after the lotto operator accused him of  braking into his room and stealing money at their rented residence in Ilishan-Remo area of Ogun State.

PUNCH Metro reports that the accusation led to an argument between the duo but neighbours reportedly intervened and settled the matter for peace to reign.

However, in the middle of the night, Talabi, was said to have forced his way forced his way into Oluwatobiloba’s apartment with a cutlass, and allegedly beheaded him.

Oluwatobiloba’s wife, Esther, told our correspondent that she saw her husband in a pool of blood when she returned from vigil on Saturday morning.

She said, “I told him I was going to church vigil and he allowed me. I asked him to follow me but he said we should not leave our grandma, Mujidat, alone at home.

“When I returned home, everywhere was dark, I switched on the torchlight and saw his dead body. I shouted and people gathered. I held Oluwatobiloba and accused him of killing my husband.”

A lawyer for the victim’s family, Kayode Oshiyemi, said Talabi took advantage of Esther’s absence at home to perpetrate the crime, adding that he told the deceased’s wife and mother to leave the door of their rooms open because he wanted to perform spiritual cleansing in the whole house.

He said, “The deceased’s wife wants justice. The man and the landlord’s grandson were not on good terms. The deceased, who is a lotto operator, accused the herbalist of breaking into his room to steal his money.

“They have been quarrelling since then. So, the herbalist said he wanted to perform a ritual in the whole house and told the deceased’s mother living in the room adjacent to the deceased’s room that she should not lock their doors because of the ritual. The herbalist also told the wife he wanted to do the ritual but the wife left for a vigil.

“When the lotto operator’s wife returned from church around 5am and found her husband in a pool of blood, she accused the herbalist of killing her husband. The matter was reported at the Ikenne Police Station and everybody in the house was arrested. In the course of the investigation, one of the tenants living upstairs said he saw the herbalist burning some clothes soaked in blood in the middle of the night.

“It was at that point that the herbalist confessed to the crime. The herbalist said he slaughtered him because he was pompous and always lived as if he was rich and had everything. The herbalist told the police that since the main door was unlocked, he used fire to melt the net and gained entry into the room.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a statement, said the suspect was arrested following a report lodged at the Ikenne Police Station by the deceased’s wife.

He said, “The DPO of Ikenne division, CSP Ibrahim Ningi, led his detectives to the scene, where it was discovered that the man was killed with a machete while sleeping.

“It was also discovered that there was no break-in at the scene and nothing was removed from the room. The discovery pointed to the fact that the killing was carried out by an insider, hence all the occupants of the house were invited to the station for interrogation.

“After a thorough investigation, Idowu Talabi, who claimed to be a native doctor, confessed to killing the deceased. When asked the reason for the dastardly act, the suspect alleged that the deceased was fond of accusing him of stealing.”