A manhunt has been launched to arrest a fleeing young man identified as Monday Shakiru (25) over the murder of his colleague identified as Alhaji Ibrahim (60), at No. 16, Tunde Obitayo Street, Magodo Eatate Lagos; a compound they both secure.
According to THISDAY investigations, the incident happened in the early hours of Friday morning following a fracas between the duo.
Ibrahim who sells petty trade at the front of the compound, and reside in a self contain apartment in the compound was compensated with by one Alhaja simply identified in the community as ‘Late Abuga’s wife’, after about 17 years of serving her, was said to have been complaining to some community members about threat to his life by the suspected culprit now at large.
According to a close associate of Ibrahim who spoke to THISDAY in anonymity, “Ibrahim is a very popular man in the community we all relate with including Monday.
They both live in the same compound. The owner of the house in which Monday who is about 25 years old secure is know as Jeff. But he is based in United State, that was why he employed Monday to help secure his house and take care of his Dogs. Jeff’s House is Behind Ibrahim’s apartment was given to him by Alhaja in the same compound.
So, Ibrahim always complain on how Monday uses his boss properties in His absence, and he has on several occasion apprehended him while trying to sell his boss properties including jewelleries, cloths and other moveable properties in the house.
So it got to a stage that Ibrahim could no longer condone Monday’s mischievousness that he had to report him to his own benefactor; Alhaja who owns the whole compound.
So Alhaja asked Ibrahim and one other Security Guard on the area to evict him from the apartment, which they communicated to some days before the incident.
After they communicated the eviction notice to Monday, Ibrahim has been telling us that Monday has been threatening him. That he was going to kill him. But we didn’t think he has the ability to do such till we heard the news on Friday 5th April afterwards, that Ibrahim was hit on the head with an iron rod he patrols with by Monday and heard Monday wasn’t found in the house.”
In an eyewitness account, a security guard who also works in the area and was present at the time the crime was committed spoke to THISDAY on the condition of anonymity.
According to him, “Ibrahim always open his store very early in the morning. Because he sells cigarette, most if us that smokes in this area buy cigarette from him. And quite unlike him, his store was still closed on Friday morning.
Apparently, Monday has killed him on Thursday night through Friday morning and dragged his lifeless body into the bush at the back of the compound so that nobody will discover him.
In fact, I saw Monday in the morning of the Thursday before committing the crime. He was complaining bitterly about Alhaji Ibrahim not minding his business and was swearing to me and some other guys around that he will deal with him.
He even said he is going to kill him, beating his chest and hitting his hands on the ground. But I didn’t believe he could really do that.”
Continuing, he said, “So after waiting till about 10am, we started getting suspicious as we also didn’t see any traces of Monday.
We remembered Ibrahim s complain and so we went to report to Abuga’s wife house who was the one that gave him the apartment to report his absence.
She came around and we entered Ibrahim’s apartment together to look for him. We didn’t see him there, then we started searching the whole compound.
Then we noticed the small gate behind the compound was opened. So we went through it to the back of the compound; there we found Alhaji lying lifeless inside the bush.
That was how we immediately raised alarm and around Friday evening, police came to pick the body away.”
