CYRIACUS IZUEKWE
Police operatives from the SCID, Yaba, Lagos State Command, have arrested a man, Bitrus Wurawa, for allegedly stabbing a 23-year old man, Ezekiel Yohana to death inside the market over N14,000.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that the incident happened at Kara Market, Ibeju-Lekki area of the State.
The suspect, Wurawa, was said to have used a jackknife to stab Yohana to death during a squabble over the money the deceased borrowed from him.
Wurawa has been charged before the Yaba Magistrates Court for the alleged murder.
He was arraigned before the Presiding Magistrate, Mr. P. E Nwaka, on one-count of murder, which attracts several years of imprisonment or life imprisonment.
The Police alleged that the deceased, Ezekiel Yohana, borrowed N14,000 from the defendant in January and promised to pay in a few weeks but he failed to pay back after several pleas from the defendant.
Trouble was said to have started when they met at Kara Market. Wurawa asked for his money and during the confrontation, the deceased reportedly brought out a knife but the defendant snatched the knife from Yohana and stabbed him.
The deceased was said to have bled profusely and was rushed to the Epe General Hospital, where he was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.
The matter was reported to the Akodo Police Division and Wurawa was arrested and transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, for further investigation.
After thorough interrogation, the Police found him culpable and subsequently charged him to Court for the alleged offence.
The prosecutor, Thomas Nurudeen, stated that the defendant committed the crime on March 8, 2023 and the alleged offence contravened Section 222 and is punishable under Section 233 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, Nigeria, 2015.
The Court did not take his plea following a motion moved by the prosecutor, Nurudeen, asking the Court to remand the defendant at the Correctional Centre pending legal advice from the Directorate of Public Prosecution.
The Magistrate, Mr. Nwaka, therefore, ordered him remanded at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre pending legal advice from the DPP while directing the prosecutor to duplicate the file and send it to the DPP for advice.
The matter was adjourned till 5th May, 2023, for the report of the DPP’s advice to be available, which will determine if the matter will be transferred to the High Court or not over jurisdiction.