Mr. Isiaka Akanbi, a traditional healing centre on Lawani Street, in the Olodi Apapa area of Lagos has been arrested for the murder of 62-year-old, Raliatu Kareem, who he claims has been her customer for 20-year.
On Saturday, October 25, Kareem, who lived on Ope-Ewe Street, Agbado Ijaiye, Lagos, went to visit an elder sister, Risikatu Raheem, whose daughter put to bed in the Olodi Apapa area.She was said to have left Ijaiye after the monthly environmental exercise was over, informing her 20-year-old son, Abdullahi, of the visit to her sister.
Two days after she had not returned home, her family went to look for her at the Olodi Apapa area
After failing to locate Kareem at the sister’s apartment, some family members, who knew she was a friend of the cleric, decided to check the Alfa’s place.
On getting to Akanbi’s centre, the Alfa denied setting eyes on Kareem.
However, the family became suspicious when Akanbi reportedly started packing his property, and preparing to flee the house some hours later.
The family was said to have raised the alarm and headed for the Tolu Police Station to report the incident. The police later came to arrest Akanbi.
Akanbi’s confession
“On the evening of October 26, it is true that she visited me. We have been very good friends too. On that day, she just collapsed and became unconscious. I quickly rushed her to a nearby hospital, but I was shocked when the nurses told me she had died.
“I got a NAPEP tricycle and took her corpse to the Marine Bridge that same night and abandoned it there. I did not want people to trace her corpse to me. When I got home, I buried her wallet, handset, bangle and ring behind my house.
“I did not kill her. I am an Alfa, I do favour charms for traders. I met Raliatu in 1986. Since then, we have been family friends. She used to come to my place for consultation and I had been to her house too.”
One of Kareem’s children, Abdullahi, said the family wanted Akanbi to produce the corpse of their mother so that they could bury her appropriately.
He said, “I have seen the man in our house a number of times. But he said she died in his house and he now took her corpse to Marina Bridge and abandoned it. We want him to produce that corpse so that we can bury her appropriately.”
The family said Akanbi might have dumped Kareem’s corpse in the lagoon as they could not find it on the Marine Bridge where Akanbi claimed he had dropped it. After contacting all relevant agencies in the state, the family said the corpse had yet to be found.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the case.
He said, “The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, Yaba, for further investigation.”
imagine, thats y i avoid this clerics