How Estate Electrician, Accomplice Attacked Maersk MD, Killed Wife

Two suspects, Ade Akanbi and Olamide Adegoke, have been arrested by men of the Lagos State Police Command for attacking the Managing Director of Maersk Nigeria, Gildas Tohouo, and stabbing his wife, Bernadett, to death at the couple’s residence on No. 1 Luggard Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos State.

It was learnt that the suspects also stabbed the man and forced him to drink a substance suspected to be acid.

While the corpse of the wife had been evacuated and deposited in the mortuary, the man is battling for his life in hospital.

It was learnt that the deceased was a Hungarian, while her husband is a Cameroonian.

According to findings, the condition of the Cameroonian remains critical.

One of the perpetrators of the crime, Adegoke, was said to be an electrician working with the estate, where the couple’s apartment is located.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the couple had organised a party in their house on Sunday and many invited guests were said to have gathered in the compound to felicitate with them.

Adegoke, who was said to be a familiar face in the estate, was granted access to the party.

He reportedly used his familiarity to smuggle his accomplice, Akanbi, in.

It was gathered that the party ended around 11.30pm and the guests departed for their various homes, but Adegoke and Akanbi were said to have lurked around the couple’s apartment.

Suddenly, there was a power outage in the building and the suspects allegedly offered to assist the couple to restore power.

According to a source, the couple recognised one of them as an electrician in the estate and access the door for them to gain entrance into the main building.

The source stated, “The electrician came with his friend and they were granted access based on the fact that Adegoke was a known face. Immediately the two suspects entered the building, they attacked the couple with knives. They locked the husband and wife in separate rooms and forced the wife to transfer some money to them and also collected her ATM card.

“Afterwards, the suspects stabbed the couple. The husband survived the attack and managed to call his company’s chief security officer, who alerted the police, but his wife was not lucky as she died on the spot after being suffocated with a pillow.”

PUNCH Metro gathered that a team of policemen, led by the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, stormed the scene of the crime and arrested the suspects before they could escape.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, who confirmed the incident, said the suspects stabbed the man’s wife and suffocated her, adding that the husband also sustained injuries and had been taken to hospital.

Elkana stated, “The man is a Cameroonian and his wife was Hungarian. They hosted a party earlier on Sunday, and when the guests had left, there was a power outage. The electrician, who was also in attendance with an accomplice, was still in the compound during the outage.

“So, they knocked on the door and volunteered to help the couple fix their power problem. When the door was opened, the two suspects, Ade Akanbi and Olamide Adegoke, attacked the couple and stabbed the man and his wife.

“But the man survived, while his wife died due to the injuries she sustained from the attack.

“The suspects wanted to rob the couple and have been arrested. The knives used in perpetrating the crime have also been recovered.

“The state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, mobilised personnel to the scene of the crime and arrested the suspects. Homicide detectives from the command have also cordoned off the area. Investigation is ongoing.”

Reacting to the incident, the Regional Managing Director, Africa, A. P. Moller-Maersk, David Williams, while commiserating with the bereaved family, said the couple’s three children were safe, adding that the company was working with relevant the authorities to investigate the incident.

He said, “We are very sorry to confirm that a colleague and his family were attacked in their residence in Lagos, Nigeria, during the evening of Sunday, December 8, 2019.

“Tragically, the wife of our colleague passed away at the scene. Our colleague is in hospital, where his condition is critical but stable. The three children are all safe and accounted for.

“Our thoughts and deepest sympathy go to the family. We will do whatever we can to support them in this tragedy.”

The Punch