THE Oyo State Police Command has arrested a 40-year-old man, Danlami Mohammed Hamzat
for allegedly k*lling his first cousin, Tanimu Al-Hassan Osama by stabbing him severally with a dagger, after which he dumped his body in a bush.
Crime Features gathered that on Saturday, June 9, Osama, who resided in Bodija area and was trading in empty vegetable oil jerry cans, was at Sango market where he had just finished the day’s sales when he was approached by the suspect. Hamzat had reportedly told Osama that there was someone who wanted to sell about 1000 empty jerry cans and offered to take him there.
Hamzat who was an okada rider was said to have taken his cousin to the place which he told him was at Iwo road area.
Surprisingly, other townsmen and relations who knew when the duo were going out saw Hamzat return alone. According to Crime Features investigations, one of their relations, Mohammed Zakari, who was confused by this development, called the deceased’s father on phone that his son did not return home. He was said to have taken this step because at that time, Osama was residing with him while Osama’s father lived at Ojoo area.
When interrogated repeatedly over the whereabouts of his cousin, Hamzat was reported to have continued to deny knowing anything about the young man’s whereabouts or even going out with him. However, his interrogators noticed blood stains on his shirt and bruises on his body but he told them that he was attacked by armed robbers on his way home.
When Osama’s father was fed with Hamzat’s explanation, he was reported not to have been satisfied with the feedback and had instructed his people to go back to Hamzat to probe him further.
However, the people met another shock when they got to Hamzat’s house and discovered that he had left his abode for Kaduna, his home state.
Police sources informed Crime Features that Osama’s father quickly called his relations at home and intimated them of the happenings at Ibadan end and the suspected involvement of Hamzat, asking them to send him back to Ibadan.
As if the deceased’s blood was out for revenge, Hamzat reportedly had an accident on the way to Kaduna, sustaining fractures and other injuries, but that seemed not to have softened his heart.
On arrival in Ibadan, it was gathered that Hamzat was taken to Ojoo police station where the case had been reported and he was detained, though he still denied knowing the whereabouts of his cousin.
However, detectives from Ojoo Division, led by the Divisional Police Officer, swung into action and started a thorough investigation.
Their efforts eventually paid off when they found the deceased’s decomposing body in a bush very close to Asejire river along Ibadan-Ife expressway. Not only this, the knife used to stab Osama, the suspect’s slippers and those of the deceased were found at the scene.
It was at this point that Hamzat reportedly broke down and confessed to killing his cousin, claiming that it was the devil who pushed him into committing the act.
It was after this that his case was transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku for further investigations.
Speaking with Crime Features after his arrest, Hamzat, who spoke through an interpreter admitted to killing his cousin, saying all what Crime Features heard was true. According to Hamzat, “we argued on the money to buy fuel for the motorcycle but he didn’t want to give me anything, claiming that he didn’t have money.
He was the one who first stabbed me before I stabbed him back.” However, there was no noticeable visible mark or wound on his body that indicated this, save his right arm that was in a sling and which he said was the injury he sustained in an accident.
Confirming the story, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, DSP Olabisi Ilobanafor said the suspect had already been charged to court and had been remanded in prison custody.
She added that the case had been adjourned till July 30.
