An official of the Lagos State
University, Samuel Ambe, who worked at the Department of Works and Physical Planning of the university, has been arrested by the police for
killing his 32 year old lover, Mata Jidonu. Before her untimely death, Mata was married to a lawyer, Sunday Jidonu, for whom she had three children.
University, Samuel Ambe, who worked at the Department of Works and Physical Planning of the university, has been arrested by the police for
killing his 32 year old lover, Mata Jidonu. Before her untimely death, Mata was married to a lawyer, Sunday Jidonu, for whom she had three children.
According to Punch newspaper, Mata,
who lived in the Agric area of Ikogazebba, Badagry, had left home
around 3pm on February 15, saying she was going to buy foodstuffs in the
market, but reportedly headed for the lover’s house, a few kilometres
away.
Her husband, Sunday, who had returned
from the court earlier that day as a result of illness, became
apprehensive when she did not return on time.
from the court earlier that day as a result of illness, became
apprehensive when she did not return on time.
He said, “I came back from the court
that day around 2pm because I was ill. On getting home, I found out that
my wife was dressed up, ready to go out. I told her to prepare coffee
for me because that it is what I normally take in the afternoon. She
said I had been taking too much coffee and advised me to eat eba that was already prepared.“She put the stew on fire while she went
to pick our last child, Laura, from the school. I told her to help me
buy drugs along the road. The same motorcyclist that took her to and
from the school waited for her outside and took her again supposedly to
the market to buy beans.
“I slept after taking the drugs. Laura
woke me up around 5pm and I asked his brother where their mother was. I
called her number but it did not go through. I called her mother, our
church and the centre, where she was doing a post-literacy study; they
all said she was not with them.”
Sunday said he became more worried when
it was 9pm and Mata did not come home. He added that he could not sleep
conveniently till the following day when he reported at the Badagry
Police Division.
it was 9pm and Mata did not come home. He added that he could not sleep
conveniently till the following day when he reported at the Badagry
Police Division.
“I was at the station, when the head of
the vigilante group in our community called me on the telephone that my
wife had been found dead in a bush path. When I got to the scene, a
crowd had gathered and policemen from Ado-Odo Ota, Ogun State, had
arrived to pick her corpse. She was strangled and stabbed in the leg.
Her private parts’ hairs had been shaved off,” he added.
The nature of Mata’s death prompted him to talk to people living around
the area, saying that he was told she used to go to the suspect’s home
regularly and was there on February 15.
the area, saying that he was told she used to go to the suspect’s home
regularly and was there on February 15.
He said he gave the information to the police, leading to Ambe’s arrest.
He said, “I was told that my wife had
been sighted with Ambe on several occasions at his second house and that
she entered the building on the day the incident happened. He is a
non-teaching staff member at LASU. His family members do not live with
him in that house. I reported to the police and eight days later, he was
arrested.
“As we were going to the station in a
police van, he called somebody on the telephone, telling the person in
Egun language that the fat woman had been traced to his house. He did
not know that I understand the language.”
Ambe’s phones were consequently seized
and upon dialing the deceased’s number on one of the phones, it showed
‘D@M’ as the identity of the caller.
and upon dialing the deceased’s number on one of the phones, it showed
‘D@M’ as the identity of the caller.
“The call logs we got from the MTN
office revealed that he had been calling my wife every day since
February 1. It was discovered that he had called her twice on February
15, the day she did not come back home,” he added.
It was learnt that the police recovered
some charms from the suspect’s house, while bloodstains were found on
the wall of the building
some charms from the suspect’s house, while bloodstains were found on
the wall of the building
Sunday said,
“He (Ambe) begged me to forgive him. He said he was not the one who killed my wife and that he was only dating her.“But there are enough indications for me
to believe that he is behind the death of my wife. Since then, some
elders in the community have been threatening me to let go of the
matter. I have also been noticing strange movements around my house.”