70-year-old Ghanaian beheaded in Lagos

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Detectives attached to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) of the Lagos State Police Command Panti; Yaba, are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the arrest of one Florunsho Sowedo.

Florunsho who is 31 year old and an indigene of Badagry Local Government in Lagos State was alleged to have killed a 70 year old Ghanaian identified as Mensah Seth on May 26th, 2017.

Information made available to our Correspondent revealed that Mensah who is a palm-wine tapper in Badagry was found dead with his head and hands chopped off at Komeh bush in the same area.

Friend of the deceased, Sunday Offiong who spoke to The Daily Times stated that while he was in search of Mensah whom he later found dead, He had seen Flounsho who had blood stains on his trouser close to the bush.

Offiong claimed he had confronted Florunsho as the one responsible for the death of the deceased, but he denied the act. Offiong had however called out to people around to intervene in the matter. The suspect was rounded up and taken to the Badagry Police Division and subsequently transferred to SCIID.

Narrating the incident, Offiong said. “On that fateful day, my friend who is also a neighbour had left the house in his usual manner at 5am. He had gone to tap palm -wine. Usually, when he goes out by 5am, he would return between 9am and 9:30am. However on that day, He didn’t return. So when it was 11 am, I told my wife I needed to go and search for Mensah because I have a feeling something was wrong.

“I went into Komeh bush where he is always going to tap palm wine. I shouted his name severally but there was no response. I decided to go back home to know if he had taken another way home while I was coming to the bush. Surprisingly, when I got home, he hadn’t returned. I waited for about one hour again and then headed back to the bush for an intensive search.

“My fear was that probably he had fallen off a tree and needed help since he was very old. So I started calling his name louder and intensified my search. I was however shocked when I stumbled on his lifeless body, his head had been cut off as well as his hands. I started screaming and ran out to call for help. Meanwhile, when I was heading into the bush, I saw Florunsho wearing a very rough cloth with blood stains. So immediately my mind went to the possibility of him been responsible for Mensah’s death, so I ran after him. I stopped him and confronted him but he denied it so I called on passersby to intervene in the matter. They insisted we take him to the police station which we did. The police late came to the bush to convey the remains of Mensah to the Mogue.

“ All I am calling on the police to do is to investigate the mysterious death of such an old man who have spent over 40 years of his life in Nigeria.”

Contrary to the Offiongs suspicion, Florunsho has maintained that he knows nothing about the death of the deceased. According to the Suspect, he had only gone to Badagry to visit his mother before he was caught by the police.

Looking confused and short of words, Florunsho managed to tell how he found himself in the police net. He said. “Things have been very difficult for me since last year after I lost the small job I was doing at a factory in Agbara. Since then, I have been feeding from hand to mouth. Sometimes I even pick things from waste to eat. I had only gone to Badagry to visit my mother and ask for some sort of assistance when they alleged that I had beheaded someone. The person in question, I have never seen my whole life.”

On the blood stains on his trousers, the suspect said,” the jean trouser they are saying had blood stains is not even mine. I had only picked it from a dust bin around that area, washed it and wore it that day only for them to say it was blood stains. The trouser was partially wet with some stains from the waste where I picked it from and they just assumed it was blood. I did not kill anyone, I am innocent of what I am been accused of, “he maintained.

Speaking on the incident, a source at SCIID (name withheld) said the case which was transferred to the formation on May 30th, 2017 is been investigated. According to the police source, “the policemen who brought him from Badagry told us that when the people from the neighborhood brought him to the police division the trouser was already dry and yes there were stains but they couldn’t ascertain if it was blood stain or something else. But at this point, we are confused because he is telling us that he is not responsible for the act. More surprisingly is the fact that he is even acting like someone who is abnormal. But then, he will be charged to court soonest and there his fate will be determined.”