The police have arrested an 18-year-old
man, Hounvenou Yavine, a national of Republic of Benin, for slitting the
throat of his boss’ mother, Mrs. Mariam Abiola.
The incident happened at Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate, Pen Cinema, Lagos.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Yavine, who had
his primary education in Porto Novo, was brought to Lagos in April 2014,
by his elder sister.
He was, however, taken to work with the Abiolas by his sister’s husband, who was also collecting his monthly salary of N8, 000.
Our correspondent learnt that the daily
tasks of Hounvenou were to do the house chores and follow his boss to
her shop, where he assisted in selling alcoholic drinks.
It was learnt that in May, 2014, the
residence of the 78-year-old in Ikeja was demolished and she relocated
in the interim to stay with her daughter at Pen Cinema.
The suspect was said to have been
assigned to a new task of tending to the old woman and assisting with
the house chores, instead of going to the shop.
On the fateful day, the suspect was said to be home alone with the deceased when he slit her throat and killed her.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the Beninese insisted that someone asked him to kill the grandmother.
His boss was said to have discovered the crime, and reported the matter to the police.
The suspect was arraigned before an Ebute Meta Magistrate’s Court on one count of murder.
The charge reads, “That you, Hounvenou
Yavine, on July 1, 2014 at Ijaiye Low Cost Housing Estate, Pen Cinema,
Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District, did unlawfully kill one Mariam
Abiola, aged 78 years, by stabbing her with a knife on her throat and
thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221 of the
Criminal Law of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2011.”
The police prosecutor, Inspector Asup
Feddy, applied for the remand of the defendant in prison pending legal
advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
He said, “The defendant has actually
confessed to the crime and the knife he used in committing the crime has
been taken as an exhibit.”
The defence counsel, Imelda Adebambo,
however appealed to the court to conduct a preliminary enquiry into the
matter, adding that the alleged exhibit had not been recovered by the
police.
The Magistrate, E.O. Ogunkanmi, upheld the remand application.
“It is only the High Court that has the
power to grant bail in a matter of this nature. The application for
remand of the prosecution counsel is hereby granted. The defendant is to
be remanded pending legal advice from the DPP. The case file is also to
be duplicated,” he said.
The matter was adjourned till September 8, 2014 for legal advice.
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