and roommate, Nwabuike Ezeike, 39, after a disagreement over a N5, 000
electricity bill. The incident happened on Tuesday on Tokosi Street, Orile-Iganmu.
According
to Punch, the friends, who were traders on the Lagos Island, had been
together for a long time.They were also said to have contributed money
for the rent of the single-room apartment.The
men, who hail from Anambra State, however, had a disagreement over
their
electricity bill.A relative of the deceased, Ben Eze, said the deceased
had paid the suspect some money as his contribution towards the bill.
said,
“But his friend squandered the money. So, as the payment became
overdue and pressure was mounted on him to release the money, he passed
on the aggression to the deceased and there was a fight. He was actually
asleep when he attacked him.“People had separated them when he
suddenly punched him in the head. He was rushed to the hospital where he
was pronounced dead.”
was supposed to have his engagement ceremony later this month before he
was killed.He said the family was pained that despite the
death, the family of the suspect had not shown any sign of remorse over
the incident.
“We are grieved and despite our loss, we would have
resolved this case because we are from the same community. But the
suspect’s family have been playing games which we don’t understand, and
that is why we are ready to pursue this case to a logical end,” he
added.
the elder brother of the suspect, Emeka Okeke, explained that his
family was not happy over the incident and efforts by community leaders
to wade in had been frustrated by the deceased’s family.
“These
two men have been friends for a long time and they are both traders.
What happened between them was unfortunate and I know Chukwuebuka had no
intention of killing his friend,” he added.
Counsel for the suspect, Spurgeon Ataene, denied that the 28-year-old killed the victim.
said,
“It was the deceased that attacked first and my client dodged his
blow. It was the force with which he attempted to punch my client that
made him crash into a wall, thereby killing himself.”