A 16-year-old boy, Adeola Okanlawan, on Tuesday told an Igbosere High Court in Lagos how his father was killed with a machete after complaining of smoke coming from a neighbour’s electricity generator.
In his court testimony as first prosecution witness, Adeola said that their neighbour, one Ibrahim Tijani, killed his father with a cutlass in a disagreement over generator smoke.
He said that his late father had called the defendant to complain about the smoke that was coming out of his generator set into his room.
According to Adeola, his father asked the defendant to change the position of the generator set to stop the smoke from entering his room, but the defendant refused to do so.
“Disagreement between my father and our neighbour over smoke coming out from the neighbour’s generator set, caused the death of my father.
“My father had to push the generator away from its former position, but did not throw it away.
“The defendant fought with my father which led to his death.
“When the defendant was cutting my father with cutlass, I pleaded with him not to kill my father, but he refused to listen to me,” Adeola said in court.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tijani was first arraigned on Jan. 21, 2016, on one-count charge of murder preferred against him by Lagos State.
NAN also reports that the defendant, who resided in an uncompleted building with the deceased, at Okun in Ajah area of Lagos, had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The Prosecutor, Mr Adeniji Kazeem, the Attorney General of Lagos State, had told the court that Tijani, 31, unlawfully killed one Bashorun Okanlawan, 57, with machete at 2:30 a.m on Feb. 8, 2015.
He said that the offence contravened Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
Another prosecution witness, Sgt. David Abu, the Investigating Police officer, told the court that at about 2:13 a.m on the day of the incident, the defendant came to the police station to report a case of assault.
Abu said that 10 minutes after the defendant made the report; the lifeless body of the deceased was brought to the station on a tricycle.
“It was discovered that the deceased complained to the defendant to adjust his generator set because of the smoke entering his room.
“When the defendant did not comply, the deceased complained to one ‘Afa’ (a chief) who owned a block industry near them.
“It was on their way from the Afa’s place that the defendant picked a cutlass, went after the deceased and cut his left hand, leg and waist.
“When the deceased was no longer moving, the defendant took a bottle and stabbed himself on the left arm, ran to the police station to make a report of assault,” Abu said.
Another witness, Insp. John Babalola, who said the case was transferred to him at the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, also confirmed the incident.
He identified the cutlass recovered from the scene of crime which was tendered and admitted in evidence as exhibit.
However the defendant’s counsel, Onome Akpeneye, asked for an adjournment to enable him to cross-examine the witnesses.
Consequently, Justice Adedayo Akintoye, adjourned the case until Nov.1, for continuation of trial. (NAN)
