Edo volunteer worker in custody over death of middle-aged woman

An employee of Edo State’s Public Works Volunteers, simply identified as Fred (aka Biggie) has reportedly raped a middle-aged mother of five children to death, in Benin, the State capital.

The incident which allegedly occurred at the Ramat Park axis, along the Benin-Agbor road, in the Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of the state, on Thursday, sparked a protest by angry youths in the area.

The deceased, identified as Magdalene, was said to be a trader in the area.

The protesting youths who barricaded the expressway with bonfires, thereby grounding traffic and commercial activities for several hours, alleged that the victim was raped to death, while others alleged that she was used for money rituals.

It was gathered that the deceased was accosted by the suspect at about 8:30 pm on Thursday and taken to a room where he allegedly had sexual intercourse with her without her consent.

Magdalene was said to have rushed out of the room naked and called for help before she slumped.

A source in the area said that attempts by some motorists to take her to a hospital for medical attention were allegedly rejected by Fred, who claimed to be a brother of the deceased.

He added that the suspect later fled the scene for fear of being identified, as more people gathered to see what was had gone wrong.

“The name of the man (suspect) is Fred. The man went inside a room with the woman at about 8:30 pm. About one hour later, the woman, suddenly, ran out naked and shouted for help, complaining that she did not understand what was happening to her.

“The neighbours came and covered her nakedness before she fainted. When some drivers wanted to take her to the hospital, the man refused; he claimed that the woman was his elder sister.

“When more people who knew him started gathering, we did not know how he disappeared. We do not know the man as her friend; we know him as ‘Obaseki Police’ [PUWOV worker].

“He usually comes to the market to chase the women away. As they extort money from them, they also sexually assault them. It was the sexual intercourse he had with the deceased that killed her,” the source alleged.

A man, who claimed to be a relative of the deceased and identified himself as Ehis Isimekhere, however alleged that the woman might have been poisoned.

Isimekhere said, “I was at home last night (Thursday) when I got a phone call that my sister was dead. When I got the market, I was told that a PUWOV official took her into a room and poisoned her.

“When some people came to rescue her, he refused, claiming that she was his sister. It was a good Samaritan that took her to a hospital, but the hospital rejected her.

“When we looked at our sister, we saw that she was already swollen and foaming from the mouth. The police said that the person (suspect) had been arrested. We want Obaseki to come and tell us what to do.”

Another relative of the deceased who identified herself as Charity Aifuwa, stated, “I was told that my sister was dead and that one of the PUWOV boys, called Biggie, carried my sister and used her for rituals. She is in a mortuary now.

“My sister’s body was covered with sperm when she ran out of the room. Before we took her to a hospital, she vomited. We were told that he (suspect) was arrested. Let the police show us Biggie; we want to see him.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chidi Nwabuzor, while confirming the incident, noted that normalcy had been restored in the area.

He disclosed that the suspect had been arrested and would be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for further information.

He stated, “That is confirmed; very soon the matter will be transferred to the State CID, if it has not been transferred by now. The situation is that both the Command’s operatives and men of the Oregbeni police station have handled the situation, while investigation is ongoing.

“The report would be made public. Judging from the fact that the suspect was working with the State Government, the people of Edo State will hear the end of the matter.”