23 year old man murders okada operator in Akute over N150

When on Thursday 13, July, Rafiu Gafar 36, an okada operator of No 17, Nwanje close inside Love Zone CDA, Heritage Estate in Akute, Isheri, Akute, Ajuwon Local Council Development Area of Ogun state left his aged mother and two other brothers to embark on his daily routine of Okada business around Akute, Ajuwon and it environs, little did he known that he has bid his final farewell to his beloved family.
For four days, the whereabout of Rafiu was unknown as his family and neighbours searched for him, as they said it was unlike him not to return home latest 7 pm, not until Monday a detective, one Inspector Otunba from the Ajuwon Divisional Police Headquarters showed his family members pictures of his dead body.
He was allegedly hit on his head by a passenger on that fateful Thursday over a mere N150.
The peaceful and warm neigbhourhood of Love Zone and Rabiu’s family compound now wear a sorrowful mood for the father of one, whom everyone around testifies was unassuming, respectful and very friendly in the community, while his mother, Alhaja Gafar as she is popularly known in the area has remains inconsolable since.
His assailant, 23 years old Ibrahim Suliamon, an indigene of Okene, in Kogi state had allegedly hit Rabiu on the head while they were arguing over N150 been fare for conveying them to Reality Plaza in Bale Akinosi along the Lagos state water corporation pipeline in Ajuwon area of Ogun state from the Zenith bank along Ajuwon Akute road.
According to report, the late Rabiu had picked Ibrahim Suliamon and another Ibrahim Ahmed to the plaza and upon getting to the agreed destination, the two passengers pulled out a N500 note and gave to the Okada man and requested for the balance of N350.
Rabiu was said to have informed the two he does not have up to the balance of N350 to give back as he has exhausted the lower denominations in his pocket.
The reports, which was corroborated by the suspect in his confessional statement to the police, even eye witnesses in the plaza stated that Ibrahim Ahmed, upon learning that Rafiu had no balance to give him decided to go inside and collect the sum of N200 from his wife to give to the late Okada man.
The suspect told police that while his co-passenger was away, Rafiu complained of been unnecessary delayed over his fare, requesting that they hurry up, the verbal exchange he said infuriated him prompting him to forcefully remove a 2/4 about 24 inches length ply wood used to cover a soak away nearby and severally hit Rafiu on the head and his chin.
An eye witness told our correspondent that while Rafiu fell to the ground, Ibrahim arrogantly walked away and went inside the house at about 7.pm the incident happened. It was not until about 10 pm, 3 hours after the late Rafiu was smashed with the object that someone, sensing the danger the incident will put the community put a call to the Division Police Officer in Ajuwon who promptly ordered one of the division patrol teams lead by Inspector Otunba to proceed to the scene.
The neighbourhood was said to have been deserted when it dawn on the residents that a homicide case was about to take place.
When police team arrived the scene, they met the half dead body of Rafiu lying on the ground and promptly took him to Tamara Hospital in Imole-Ayo busstop along Akute Ajuwon road. the Doctor, simply identified as Dr. Awusa informed Inspector Otunba and his team that Rafius’s “prognosis is poor” as he was bleeding through the ear, nose and mouth as a result of the gravity of the plywood that landed on his head and chin.
Also, sources told our correspondent that Dr. Awusa, who was said to be a specialist in handling such critical condition having saved several lives brought to the medical centre by the police and others told the uniformed officers that the victim has a 70/30 chances of survival because blood has block all his breathing organs.
He however told the police he will do his best and set about reviving Rafiu alongside his team around 10 pm Thursday and begin removing all the blood that has obstructed the airway. According to Dr. Awusa, the late Rafiu suffered to death as a result of how the wood landed on his head.
He told family members that the bleeding was too severe to allow Rafiu any chance of survival three hours after he was hit.
A death certificate signed by Dr. Awusa and seen by our source indicated that Rafiu suffered from “Airway Obstruction” and died at 3.45 am on the 14th of July after several hours of trying to resuscitate him. The death certificate showed that the primary cause of death was “Respiratory Arrest” while the secondary cause was “internal bleeding” which “the disease had continued till death”.
The suspect, Ibrahim Suliamon confessed to committing the crime in his confessional statement to the police.
The Igbira boy, who looked dazed following the incident told our correspondent that he did not understand how the devil pushed him to commit such heinous act.
He said ” l am still surprise and have lost all my senses following the incident. I finished learning fish farming trade in Abuja and was asked to come to Lagos to find a job, it is the devil that pushed me into this”.
The Ajuwon police division has transferred the case to the homicide division in Eleweran on Tuesday for further investigation and prosecution.
The elder brother to the late Rafiu, Mr. Semiu Jimoh Gafar has lamented the death of his younger brother, whom he described as the gentlest male in the family.
Mr. Semiu said ” we are devastated by the incident. You can see how demoralised our aged mother is, he was so loved by her, imagine what his only son will feel like when he hears that his father is late.
Rafius’s family are now demanding for the release of the corpse for burial in line with Islamic injunction but the homicide division at the Ogun State Headquarters of the Police Command in Elewerun in Abeokuta are insisting on carrying out an autopsy examination on Rafiu, who has been deposited at a private morgue in Ajuwon by the police.
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