Distraught
children of late Roselyn Osiugie, the woman that was allegedly murdered
by her husband last Friday in Oshodi area of Lagos, have revealed that
their father had earlier attempted to take their mother’s life on two
occasions.
This is just as the family of the deceased alleged that the suspect,
Jafar Osiugie, 50, killed her for ritual purpose. The last attempt on
their mother’s life, according to the children, happened two weeks ago.
The children alleged that on one of the occasions, their father, pinned
their mother down and held her by the neck, forcing her to defecate on
herself. But the 50-year-old suspect was said to have released
his
grip when his eldest son, Collins, 19, stumbled on the scene. About two
weeks ago, Collins alleged, he met his father trying to suffocate his
46-year-old mother with a pillow. He said:
“Immediately I entered the room, he was shocked and asked what I was doing there?”
Speaking with Vanguard, younger brother to the deceased, Mr. Israel Imomoh, said:
“Everything
points to ritual killing. First, he (Jafar) never ate with the wife
until that day. He was not usually home either. My late sister always
drank tea before retiring to bed. On that day he was the one that
prepared the tea.
From all
indications, it is obvious that he drugged her tea because she did not
put up any resistance while he was cutting her neck.
After
the incident, he tried to burn down the house to make it seem like a
fire incident. He even struck some match sticks on the mattress, which
refused to ignite. Some of the sticks were found at the scene.
We
were informed that he announced that he was travelling to the village
and from there to Abuja. He borrowed N6,000 from his relatives, saying
he had got a job in Abuja. We learned from the children that he had made
several attempts to kill her until he finally succeeded last Friday.
“I
was living with her. In fact, she trained me. But I had to leave
because of her husband’s behaviour. If I had known this would happen, I
would have remained there. She played the role of mother and father to
us since we lost our parents.”
Meanwhile, policemen are
guarding the 50-year- old suspect at the Falomo General Hospital, Ikoyi,
Lagos, where he was said to be lying unconscious. A reliable police
source said:
“Jafar Osiugie, who hails from Edo State, is still lying unconscious at the hospital. Our men are also there guarding him.”
Vanguard
reports that doctors were still trying to revive the suspect, who
reportedly became unconscious shortly after he was taken into custody
last Friday at the Lagos State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence
Department, CIID.
It was gathered that the suspect initially
acted as if he was insane by shouting “chemical, chemical, I am dying.”
Thereafter, he was reportedly unable to stand without support, before he
collapsed.
One of his relatives, who spoke with Vanguard on
condition of anonymity, debunked claims by the Imomohs that Jafar killed
their daughter. He said:
“My brother told
me that his wife, who sells at Ijora market, was indebted to some
people and that they were calling her at midnight, demanding for their
money. “He told me that they are the ones that killed his wife and
forced a poisonous substance into his mouth.”
Meanwhile, Mrs. Philomena Shaibu, the younger sister of late Mrs. Roseline Sougie, told Punch Metro that the husband, Jafaru Sougie, in anger used a pillow to stifle the mother of five while she was sleeping.
She said, “Last year, my sister was sleeping when her husband used a
pillow to cover her mouth and she nearly died. She managed to escape and
fled to our village. The case was reported to the police in Oshodi. He
went to the village to beg her and after three months they reconciled.
“It was the children that kept her in the relationship. It was
unfortunate that she died because of the children. All I want is that he
should not go unpunished. My sister suffered a lot to keep the marriage
going. We want justice for her.”
The President, Women Arise for Change Initiative, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin,
said her group had contacted the police on the matter and would monitor
it to ensure justice in the end.
She said, “There is a curious rise in the spate of domestic violence;
husband killing wife and vice-versa. People must be careful about the
kind of relationship they get into. We have taken this up. Roseline’s
death is a colossal loss. We stand with the family at this time of
grief. We wait for the autopsy report of Roseline. Jafaru must be alive
to face justice.”