Details have emerged about how a former Permanent Secretary in the Niger State civil service, Adamu Jagaba, was gruesomely murdered by his 18-year-old panel beater and murder suspect, Fatiyah Abdulhakeem.
It was gathered from sources that Jagaba, who also owns a block moulding industry, had invited Abdulhakeem to his office at his block industry last Saturday to assess and determine the extent of bodywork he would need to undertake on his Toyota Camry car.
Not long after they entered the office, the 18-year-old suspect brought out a dagger which he had earlier hidden in his long flowing ‘babanriga’ and stabbed the former Permanent Secretary on his head and neck.
Sources disclosed further that the block seller was shocked over the sudden attack by the suspect and seeing his blood gushing out from his head and neck grabbed Abdulhakeem’s right hand and bit him twice on the wrist, hoping his assailant would free him.
But Abdulhakeem wouldn’t do that. Rather, he went for the kill.
When Jagaba realised that Abdulhakeem was determined to give him more stabs, he entreated his assailant to spare his life, promising to give him money if that was what he wanted.
More sources quoted various versions of how the deceased pleaded with his assailant, pleading for his life and crying, “Why do you want to take my life? If it is money you want, I will give you, but do not kill me.”
Again, the pleas fell on dead ears as the suspect finally dealt him a heavy blow by hitting him with a stapling machine he found in the office, which sent him to his early grave.
It was also learnt that the previous day, being a Friday, a customer had come to the block industry and paid the former Permanent Secretary a huge amount of money, which some of his workers were privy to.
One of the workers was alleged to have conspired with Abdulhakeem to rob Jagaba of the money, which led to the attack and his eventual murder.
Our correspondent adds that when the panel beater saw that Jagaba was lifeless, the suspect searched the office for the car keys, opened the door, and frantically drove off.
The sources disclosed further that Abdulhakeem first drove the car to his grandmother’s residence along Bosso road.
When the grandmother asked him who owned the car, the suspect told her that it belonged to a customer who paid him to wash the car. Abdulhakeem later drove off with the car and was said to have sold the Toyota Camry car for N2 million.
Later, when Adamu’s body was found and security agents started looking for Abdulhakeem as the prime suspect in the murder, they trailed him to his grandmother’s residence.
When she heard of the incident, the grandmother was said to have pleaded that Abdulhakeem was just a small boy who could not muster the guts for such a heinous act, let alone execute her.
Thus, she begged that the investigating police officers should leave his grandson.
The murder suspect, according to sources, confessed after he was arrested that he had carried out the dastardly act, disclosing further that he had been involved in similar activities several times, and each time, he had driven the car to his grandmother’s house.
Meanwhile, the Saint Michael Catholic Church, where the late Jagaba was a Knight of St. Mulumba was preparing for a major church programme when news of the death of one of their ardent members filtered into the congregation.
Expectedly, everyone at the church gathering expressed dismay, disgust, disbelief, and horror at the news and prayed that the long arms of the law would catch up with the murderer.
The following day, the congregation observed a one-minute silence for the repose of the soul of the deceased.
The former Permanent Secretary is scheduled for burial on Friday, December 13, just as members of his church and his Niger State community members described him as a “committed member of the church and the community. He was also said to be a very generous man, readily giving to the cause of God.”
Meanwhile, sympathisers have continued to troop to his residence to condole with his wife and children.
Nemesis, our correspondent learnt, soon caught up with Abdulhakeem, who did not get too far away with his alleged crime before vigilant police operatives of the Niger State Police Command arrested him.
The spokesman of the command, Wasiu Abiodun, disclosed in a statement that Abdulhakeem had been arrested with the car.
According to Abiodun, “the 18-year-old suspect, Abdulhakeem, was arrested on Sunday.”
He told Arewa PUNCH that “Abdulkareem had already confessed to the killing of Jagaba and also confessed that he conspired with some of Jagaba’s workers to perpetuate the evil act,”
Abiodun said, “Fortunately, on the local circulation of the vehicle details to all police points and formation within the state, on the same date at about 7pm, the Crack Squad of the Command intercepted the vehicle along Bosso Estate road, Minna with the suspect, who hail from Tayi village, via Bosso, Minna.
“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to being the victim’s car painter and visited him at his block industry located at his Eastern Bye-pass, via Maitumbi, opposite the People’s Democratic Party secretariat in Minna.
“He said after discussing the issue about changing the vehicle bumper, he deliberately stabbed the deceased severally on the head and neck and also hit him multiple times with a stapler on his head in the office before he made away with his Toyota Camry vehicle with registration number MNA 61 AE.
“He confessed further that he conspired with some of the deceased workers, who gave him the target and more information in carrying out the crime. He said he has other gang members involved in such heinous acts with him. He has mentioned their names for investigations,” Abiodun disclosed.
He added that “Efforts are ongoing to apprehend other members of the gang and the suspect will be charged to court for prosecution, immediately after investigations are concluded,” the police image maker stated.
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.