Three domestic staff have been arrested over the murder of the daughter of Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia, Aribemchukwu, whose lifeless body was found in front of the family’s house in the early hours of yesterday, on Bembe Street, Parkview Estate, Ikoyi area of Lagos.
The suspects identified as Olatunji Oluwasegun, 35; Umaru Mamman, 45 and Peter Abigel, 21, were reportedly found with some items belonging to their boss, while trying to escape.
The medical doctor fondly called Chuchu was in her early 30s and the first of two children. Aribemchukwu, who lived alone with the domestic staff, was suspected to have been killed Tuesday night inside the apartment and her body was dumped in front of their house, to create the impression that she was killed while outside.
The tragedy was said to have occurred barely a few weeks after they celebrated the wedding of their only son in Lagos.
However, relatives of the deceased disclosed that she was stabbed to death and that there were signs of an attempt to clean up blood inside the house and in the compound, indicating that life could have been snuffed out of her inside the compound.
A relative, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “If this was indeed the handiwork of the staff, it’s salient to observe that they were newly employed less than a month and she was alone in the house with them.
“Chuchu, a doctor, was a lovely daughter and this a great tragedy for the family after the recent very happy wedding celebration of her only brother. May her soul rest in peace and the good Lord comfort Soboma and Rita at this time and help them cope with this tragedy.”
Speaking on the tragedy, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, confirmed the arrest of the domestic staff.
He said: “We have succeeded in arresting three of their domestic staff and they have made confessional statements implicating themselves in the murder. My men were able to respond swiftly when they got the information because of the security architecture we put in place at Ikoyi and we recorded success.
“If not, the perpetrators would have escaped. We have also recovered all the items they wanted to escape with. We are still spreading our dragnets with a view to rounding up other accomplices, if any.
“I will advise Lagosians to always profile their domestic staff before employing them. We made it a cardinal issue in all divisions, so that such ugly incident will be averted. So far, all hands are on the deck and I assure Lagosians of our proactive response to crime at all times.”
Until her death, she was a staff of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.
