Why evil? Man butchers wife for ritual, buries corpse in shallow grave

Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 36- year- old man who allegedly murdered his wife for ritual purpose in Ijora.

The suspect , Shakiru Bello, was apprehended in Ibadan, Oyo State, where he had allegedly gone to take cover after the alleged dastardly act in an uncompleted building, on Monday.

He was alleged to have dismembered the wife’s
body with cutlass and buried her in a shallow grave in order not to give himself away, before
leaving for Ibadan, his home town. Luck was said to have run against him following
suspicion on the disappearance of the wife,
Sherifat, by his in-law. Their suspicion, according to a relative of the deceased, followed earlier alleged attempt on the wife by the husband.

It was gathered that the suspect allegedly inserted some charms into Sherifat’s private part while sleeping in their one room apartment
in Shomolu area of the state, a situation that led her to stay away from him for some time.
However, on Monday, the deceased was said to have called the husband on phone, demanding N10,000 for the upkeep of their three children.

They agreed to meet in Ebute-Metta area, from where they proceeded to Ijora where the alleged act took place.

Residents besieged Ijora Police Division after the news of the incident spread. Some of the
curious residents followed the police and the suspect to the shallow grave where the corpse
of Sherifat was buried and subsequently exhumed.

The dismembered body parts, which included the head, two hands and legs, were in decomposing state. The stench from the exhumed body parts did not deter the anxious
crowd from having a glimpse of them.

At this point, the crowd called for instant justice on the suspect, appealing to the police to release him for mob action.
In order to avoid the invasion of the police station, the suspect and exhibits were taken to
the Area ‘B’ Command, Apapa, with some residents still following on motorcycles.

During interrogation, the suspect, blamed the incident on the devil. “I don’t know what to say than it was the devil
that pushed me into butchering my wife. I am from Ibadan, in Oyo State.We have been married for 14 years now. We have three children. I was
at Shomolu when she called me to meet her at Estate bus stop, Ebutte-Metta. She wanted to
collect N10, 000 from me.

We later went to Ijora area where I killed her inside an uncompleted building. I killed her on Monday. If I did not bury her, people will easily
link me with her death. Yet I have been caught.

It was the work of the devil”.
The suspect, as gathered, would be transferred to the homicide section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.