Photo: 45-year-old married father of five arrested in Lagos for killing his girlfriend after he saw her talking with her ex-boyfriend

Police have arrested one Victor Umeh who killed his girlfriend, Happiness after he saw her talking to her ex-boyfriend in  the Okota area of Lagos.

It was gathered that the suspect, a married man with five children and trader at Ladipo Market hosted a birthday party for Happiness in a hotel along Ago-Palace Way, Lagos on Saturday, July 29. As the party was going on, Victor saw her conversing with her former boyfriend and left in anger. 

A quarrel ensued after Happiness returned to Victor's house located at 5/7 Michael Osisipi Street, off Banjo Oyewele Street, Ago Palace Way. Her shout for help alerted neighbours, including a gateman, identified simply as Adamu.

The neighbours were said to have searched the flat for the victim, only to discover her lifeless body behind Umeh’s window.

“We heard them quarreling, but we thought it was a normal verbal war, until we did not hear Happiness. We decided to find out what was happening, only to meet the lifeless body of Happiness," a neighbour said.

 

“When Victor saw us, he tried to escape, but we held him and quickly alerted the police from Ago-Okota Division, who came to the scene and arrested him.”

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Ago-Okota Police Station, Mr. Yusuf Abdul, who confirmed the incident said that Umeh was arrested from where he was transferred to the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department, SCIID.

"Around 12 midnight, one Osuh came and reported that they heard loud screaming coming from his neighbour’s apartment. He said when he came out to find out what was going on, in company with others, they saw the lifeless body of Happiness whose address and surname are unknown.

“We arrested one Victor, whom the deceased visited, as he was trying to escape. In a bid to frustrate investigation, the suspects hid the deceased’s phone on top of a fence after inserting it inside a packet of cigarettes that contained Indian hemp.

“During interrogation, the suspect told us that they went to a club along Ago-Palace Way to celebrate the deceased’s birthday but when they got there the deceased started talking with her ex-boyfriend and he left in anger for his house. Shortly after he got home, the deceased came to meet him and they had a fight that led to her death."

Happiness’ body has been deposited at Isolo General Hospital Mortuary for autopsy.

Meanwhile, the suspect denied killing her, adding that he did not know how her corpse found its way behind his window.

"I did not kill her. Someone else did because, I met her lifeless body outside my house."

He admitted to have met her last Wednesday at Cele Bus Stop, from where he brought her home.

According to Vanguard investigation, Happiness is said to be from Plateau State. Umeh’s wife and five children travelled to his village in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State. Immediately after the incident, the suspect contacted his wife to come to Lagos and move his property to the village. 

"Our gateman allowed her inside that night because she was seen with Victor the previous day. The gateman was first alerted by the shout for help and by the time he got close to the window, he saw somebody running" said one of the neighbours, who spoke with Vanguard.

"Her desperate shout for help was intensive, but with time it became faint until it stopped. He tried to escape and hide the deceased phone on a fence so as to make it difficult for the Police to trace her death to him. If he had succeeded we would have been in trouble.” he added.