Homicide detectives attached to the Lagos State Police Command have launched a manhunt for the bricklayer, Edgar Koja Akinyemi, who allegedly killed his wife at the Agemowo, Badagry area of the metropolis and secretly buried her inside a church.
Akinyemi, who has three children from his murdered wife, Ajoke Kalejaiye, was alleged to have disappeared into thin air after allegedly committing the crime. The deceased was said to be a graduate.
The State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chike Oti, confirming the incident, explained: “The man is a bricklayer, while his late wife was a graduate. The couple had been having domestic violence issues. Our investigations showed that neighbours used to make peace between them, especially whenever they started quarreling and fighting.
“But this time around, the man beat his wife to death. He dragged her to another location and buried her, after which he ran away. The corpse was discovered by a local vigilant group. The case has been transferred to State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba. We’ll get him.”
One of the leaders in the community, Prince Adjoto Olumuyiwa, said that he and other members of the community were shocked after they discovered the corpse of Ajoke.
Local vigilante men in the community raised the alarm after they discovered the woman’s chest to head jutting out of the grave. It is believed that Akinyemi, in his hurry to bury his wife, failed to properly bury her.
Olumuyiwa said: “We initially didn’t know that the corpse was that of Ajoke, the wife of Akinyemi. We found the corpse, buried beside the church’s well. The woman was buried from leg to her stomach level. Her chest and head were outside the grave. When the alarm was raised that a dead body had been discovered inside the Bible Basic Christian Ministry well, we all went there.”
Olumuyiwa continued: “When we saw the dead body, none of us recognized Ajoke’s lifeless body. It was when police came and pulled out the body from the ground that we recognized her. I suspected that Ajoke was in their one room apartment when she was called out and killed. I suspected this because she wore only a short. She was a very quiet lady. It was after her death that I heard she had been having domestic violence issue with her husband. But then, no misunderstand should lead a man to murder the mother of his three children. He should have thought of his three children before raising his hands to beat and eventually killed his wife of many years.”
A neighbour, who pleaded anonymity, said that the dead body was found beside the church well, along a bush path, where people used to walk through, to reach the other end of the community.
Olumuyiwa recounted: “People always walk through the church because of the road that leads to other side of the community. It’s actually because people used to walk through the church that the church compound was always open. Akinyemi must have dug the ground in the middle of the night. Everyone believes Akinyemi killed Ajoke. Nobody has seen him since the incident. He ran away, leaving his three children. But then, only God knows what happened. If it’s Akinyemi that killed Ajoke, he wouldn’t go unpunished.”
A neighbour to the couple said that Ajoke’s father, Mr. Atewologun Kalejaiye, had taken custody of the three children. The children are said to be between ages two and six.
The Baale of Agemowo, Chief Solomon Jidenou, said: “I was particularly shocked. This is the first time such an incident would be happening in our community.”
He explained that he was in his palace, discussing with his chiefs, when some Neighbourhood Watch Corps’ officials came to tell him that they had discovered the corpse of a young lady buried beside a well in his community.
Jidenou said: “I quickly sent some people to confirm the incident. I advised them to notify the police. The matter was reported at Morogbo Police Station.”
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