Indications have emerged on how a man allegedly has hands in the death of his wife and that of his daughter.
A police inspector, Babashola Afolayan, on Monday, explained to a Lagos State High Court in Igbosere that a Danish national, Peter Nielsen, was the principal suspect in the killing of his Nigerian wife, Zainab, and three-year-old daughter, Petra, The Punch reports.
PUNCH Metro had reported that Nielsen, 53, allegedly murdered Zainab and Petra at the family’s residence at the Ocean Parade, Banana Island, Lagos, on April 5, 2018.
Zainab’s younger sister had reported to the facility manager of the estate that Zainab was being assaulted by Nielsen. The 13-year-old girl, Gift, who lived with the family, reportedly told the manager, Mr Kunle Kukoyi, that she heard her sister crying around 4am.
The manager was said to have reported to the police at the Ikoyi Division and a police team was mobilised to the residence around 11am and found Zainab and her daughter dead. At Monday’s proceedings, during cross-examination by Nielsen’s counsel, Olasupo Shasore (SAN), Afolayan told the court that he only investigated the defendant as he was the principal suspect in the murder of the deceased.
He added that the defendant was the only suspect because on July 18, 2017, his deceased wife, Zainab, had come to the Ikoyi Police Station around 2am and made a report against Nielsen about how he allegedly assaulted and beat her up around 1am on the same day.
He said, “On July 18, 2017, the defendant’s wife came around 2am and complained about the defendant that around 1am, he pushed her to the bed and pressed her neck and beat her up; it was a case of assault occasioning harm against the defendant. She further reported that that day was the third time he would be beating her.
“She also added that she suspected that Nielsen was a drug addict, stating that whenever he took drugs, he beat her up; all these made him (Nielsen) to be the principal suspect.”
Earlier, at the conclusion of his evidence, Afolayan told the court that when he went for investigation, he made sure that nobody went in and out of the compound.
The presiding judge, Justice Bolanle Okikiolu-Ighile, adjourned the case till February 20 for the continuation of trial.
In another development, a sad incident occurred in Osun State which led to the loss of valuables by some affected residents.
Suspected political thugs reportedly set ablaze five buildings in Igangan, a village in the Atakumosa East Local Government Area of Osun State,The Punch reports. Also, a car belonging to an indigene of Iwara town, a neighboring community to Igangan, identified simply as Folorunsho Aderibigbe, was burnt by the arsonists.
Residents of Igangan, who volunteered information about the attack, said the hoodlums attacked the community around 8pm on Sunday and set some buildings on fire.
“We were too scared to come out when the attackers came. We watched from where we hid as the arsonists set fire to buildings,” a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity said.
Recall that on Thursday, February 14, an 11-year-old girl, Rukayat Balogun, was shot in the leg by suspected political thugs in Iwara.
The senatorial candidates of the All Progressives Congress and that of Peoples Democratic Party, Ajibola Famurewa and Francis Fadahunsi, respectively, had traded accusations over attacks in the area.
However, the Commissioner of Police, Osun State Police Command, Abiodun Ige, on Monday assured residents of the communities that the police would beef up security in the areas. He said, “Perpetrators of these crimes will be brought to justice. People should stop violence because anyone caught will be dealt with in accordance with the law.”
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