The Police in Ekiti on Tuesday said it had arrested a 39- year-old man who allegedly raped and killed her landlady, Mrs Bukola Olanrewaju, in Ado Ekiti.
The 38-year-old tailor and mother of three was allegedly killed on Thursday by the suspect said to be a commercial motorcyclist.
The command said it also arrested two serial rapists, Babalola Olaniyo and Olupinla Dotun, who allegedly raped a girl at Olorunda area of Ado Ekiti metropolis last week.
The State Police Commissioner, Mr Asuquo Amba, who paraded the trio, said the suspected killer was arrested at a church in Akure where he fled to after allegedly committing the crime.
” The suspect, after committing the offence, ran to Akure. He took refuge in a church and that was where he was arrested.
” He had immediately called his family and told them why he did not come to their place.
” He said he had killed somebody in Ado Ekiti.
“We had already done our homework and gathered that his sister sells chemicals and police detectives had to trick her that they wanted to buy something from her.
” It was his sister who later led us to where he was,” he said.
The commissioner said all the suspects would be prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.
The suspected killer told journalists that he committed the offence out of provocation.
He said the deceased provoked him over disagreement on house rent with her husband, Mr Raphael Olanrewaju, who was also present at the briefing.
He denied the accusation that he raped the landlady to death ,explaining that he only hit her on the head with a big stick before making efforts to tie her hands to make her weak during a fight.
“I called her that day that I wanted to leave the house after paying N23,000 for one year house rent, June to May, next year and the husband needed to refund part of my money to get another apartment.
” But the woman said that would never happen.
” We started the argument and she started calling me names. She abused me by calling me a stammerer, charlatan and other unprintable names which angered me.
” She later held my cloth and I slapped her and pushed her away from me.
” The woman now came with a stick and I overpowered her and collected the stick which I used to hit her on the head and she fell.
“Upon realising she had died, I became worried and I had to run to a church in Akure for refuge,” he said.
The deceased’s husband said the disagreement he had with the suspect had since been resolved when his family paid N23,000 owed as house rent, comprising the new and backlog of rent.
“He actually had misunderstanding with my wife but it was settled. I never knew he had the intention to kill her.
” He killed my wife around 11am when everybody, including me and my three kids, had left home.
” It was my little girl who discovered that he was the one who did it. When the police came to search his room, we saw a lot of incriminating items that suggested that he was an armed robber.
” I never knew I was harbouring an armed robber since he came to my house last year.
“All I want now from government and police is that the law must take its course,” he said.
