Son held for alleged attempted murder of mum

The police have arrested a 29-year-old man, who allegedly attempted to kill his mother, Mrs Alice Akinola, for money ritual.

The woman was saved by the timely arrival of her 14-year-old grandson, Faruq, who met her in a pool of her blood and quickly raised the alarm.

The boy had been sent on an errand by his uncle, Taiwo Akinola, to enable him carry out the act.

Taiwo allegedly smashed a plank on his mother’s head, with an iron and a UPS charger on Sunday around 8.30am at their 2, Raji Ajanaku Street, Alaja Road, Ayobo, Lagos home.

Following Faruq’s alarm, neighbours rushed Mrs Akinola to hospital and apprehended Taiwo.

In a statement yesterday, police spokesman Chike Oti, a Chief Superintendent (CSP), said the woman was lying unconscious in hospital.

The statement read: “In a carefully thought out plan to kill his mother, Taiwo, said to be a staunch member of the notorious Aiye Confraternity, went to the victim’s provision store in front of their apartment. There, he told his mother to meet him inside the house for an important discussion.

“At the same time, he sent his nephew, Faruk, to go and buy him white handkerchief and a stick of cigarette.

“But as soon as his mother entered the house, the suspect attacked her, smashing a plank on her head with, pressing iron and a UPS charger to ensure she did not survive the ferocious attack.

“When Faruk returned, he did not see his grandmother in the shop so he went into the house only to see the poor woman lying in a pool of blood.

“Shocked by what he saw, the boy raised the alarm which attracted neighbours to the scene. They called the police from Ayobo Division, who arrested the suspect.

“They also secured the scene for further investigation by the police forensic experts attached to the Homicide Section at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Panti, Yaba.”

According to him, the Commissioner of Police (CP) Imohimi Edgal, paid the initial hospital bill before doctors could attend to her.

Oti alleged that the suspect had confessed that he was asked to kill his mother to advance his cyber fraud business (yahoo.com) to the bloody or ritual level (yahoo plus).

“When his room was searched, the following exhibits were recovered – two calabashes with one containing human skull and the other, a mixture of dark concoction, a plank perforated with nails and stained with blood; a pressing iron stained with blood; a white handkerchief with which he wanted to scoop the victim’s blood and a bottle containing oil and labelled Back To Sender,” he said.