‘My landlady killed her husband and his mistress, not me’

Taiwo Jimoh

A South Korea returnee, Promise Oguegbu (25), has denied being responsible for the murder of a Chartered Accountant, Rasaki Balogun (56) and his mistress, Muyibat Alabi.

Oguegbu was arrested over the murder of Balogun and Alabi at No.16 Oke Street, Victory Estate, in the Ejigbo area of Lagos State.

The suspect is presently in the custody of operatives of the Lagos State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos.

According to Oguegbu, it was his landlord's wife that actually killed Balogun and Alabi. Balogun was also the husband of the landlady, who Oguegbu alleged killed her husband.

He said: “Landlady poisoned her husband and his mistress after tying both of their hands. I saw her when she was committing the crime. It happened on June 18; I was inside my apartment, sleeping when landlady called me to come to her husband's apartment. When I got there, I met a tall man, tying up the landlord, while his wife ordered me to also tie the mistress. After that, she put substances I believed was poison into their mouths. I saw her putting it. She gave me the husband's car key and said that I shouldn’t expose her.”

The distraught Oguegbu, who just returned from South Korea, said: “I am innocent! I didn’t kill my landlord. The landlord wife called me to come and assist her; I asked her, ‘assist you for what.’ I saw a tall, huge man in the room with landlady. My landlord and his girlfriend were calling for help, unfortunately, other tenants were not around.”

It was gathered that Balogun lived alone in the house, while his family lived somewhere else.  The remains of the deceased persons were recovered by operatives from the Ejigbo Police Division; two days after the lovers were murdered. Police came after the same landlady’s alerted them of the murder.

A Police source said: “When the suspect was arrested, he claimed that it was the landlord’s wife that killed him. But when the woman was invited for identification parade, the suspect couldn’t identify the woman whom he claimed sent him.”