By Eric Elezuo
The Togolese cook of late Chief Ope Bademosi, who was suspected to have killed him, has told the Police that he was not that one the killed the Ondo chief.
The suspect, a Togolese by nationality named Sunday said that he could not have been the one who the chief as both of them were subjected to the same torture by those who killed him.
Narrating his experience to the Police during his interrogation, the cook said he was in the kitchen when about four men walked into the house through the front door drawing his suspicion because under normal circumstance, everyone enters through the kitchen door.
“As they opened the kitchen where I was, I shouted, who is that, but my question was answered by a blow to my neck. Then one of them drew me down and began to ask, ‘where is chief, where is chief’? I couldn’t answer instantly because I never knew him as chief because I call him oga.
“Then he asked again, where is chief? I summoned courage and asked them what is happening. One of them again answered me with a blow to my face. Then I pointed to chief’s room to them. They also asked about his wife, and I told them she just left.
“Then they took me to the visitor’s room and threatened me with a weapon, saying they were not there for play, and they will kill me if I am not careful. They attempted to keep me in the room but one of them warned against it saying I will shout and attract people’s attention. So they took me with them to chief’s room and started banging on the door. As chief opened the door, they landed him a blow that made him scream. I also tried to scream but they warned me not to try it, and started playing loud music.
“Then they attempted to keep me in the wardrobe, and one of them suggested I be kept in the toilet. Then they started beating chief up mercilessly,” he said.
When the Police inquired how he managed to know they were giving him blows since he was in the toilet, he explained that the presence of mirror everywhere in the house helped him to see everything happening in the room.
He continued: “After the initial beating, they brought him to the toilet where I was, and started asking for money. Chief told them that there was no money, but he can make a transfer to them immediately, but they rejected the offer, saying they would be arrested. They continued threatening that if he fails to bring money they would kill both of us. Before you know it, one of them stabbed chief on the chest. Then I screamed, and I was beaten.”
At this point, the Police asked the where about of the knife they used, and the cook explained that, the invaders only brought pepper spray while they knife was taken from their kitchen.
“The stabbing was too severe, and my attempt to shout was punctuated by beating. The beating changed everything about me, and I shouted aula, aula, aula. They took my cloth and tied chief around the neck to his hands and told him that he would die there, and they would wait for the wife to return, and kill her too. That frightened me!
“They asked what I do in the house, and I told them I was a cook, and one of them said that today, they will show me how to use a person’s meat to prepare ‘asu’. At this time chief told them that there was money in his room. When they realised the money was not much, they continued to ask for more money, but he told them that there was no more but he could make a transfer, they should just spare his life. They would not bulge, tied him tighter, and he was gasping for breath. I can’t tell exactly when they finally killed him because they dragged him away from the toilet where I was, and as at that time, he was still alive,” Sunday narrated
When he was asked how the marauders left, he pointed accusing fingers at the ‘gateman’ saying he must be part of them, adding that when he passed the gate, the gateman saw him and asked him what the matter was. But he couldn’t give a straight answer as to why he has to leave with Chief Bademosi’s personal effects instead of his own though he claimed he was running out hopefully he could see ‘madam’ (Chief’s wife) on the way and warn her.
Chief Bademosi was brutally murdered on Wednesday morning in his Onikoyi Lane, Park View Estate, Ikoyi by yet to be identified persons.
The main suspect, Sunday, who absconded after the incident, and was arrested in Ondo, claimed he was not the one that killed him.
Investigation still continues.
