The Ondo State Police Command on Tuesday paraded a murder suspect, Deji Adenuga, for allegedly setting eight members of his girlfriend’s family ablaze at Igbodigo, in the Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State.
The 45-year-old suspect allegedly carried out the act following a disagreement between him and his lover, Titi Sanumi, who was said to be a member of the family.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Titi ended the relationship with Adenuga after discovering that he was an ex-convict.
While being paraded before journalists at the headquarters of the police command in Akure, the state capital, Adenuga explained that his estranged girlfriend and her sister, Jumoke, who was among the deceased, had been extorting money from him for a long time.
He noted that Titi had been living with him since last year.
The suspect said their disagreement began when his girlfriend collected money from him for a business, but squandered it.
Adenuga also claimed that she aborted a four-month-old pregnancy she had for him.
He added that they had dragged each other to a police station for settlement on many occasions.
Adenuga said, “What happened was that she (Titi) aborted the four-month-old pregnancy that she had for me while we were dating. We had been having issues in recent times and I spent a lot of money on her. I gave her N30,000 for trading because she sells sachet water.
“Later, I gave her N25,000 to keep for me, making a total of N55,000. But she squandered all the money. While she was staying with me, her elder sister, Jumoke, used to collect money from me. I later discovered that they were only extorting money from me.
“Jumoke always taught her to do things against me and the issue became open that we had to drag one another to a police station. We later resolved all the issues. Surprisingly, Titi packed her luggage out of my house, saying her sister said I should pay N20,000 for her bride price before she would return.
“I begged them to give me time to look for money to do the needful, but they refused and started pulling pranks on me, after I had spent a lot of money on her. I went back to the station to report what she and her elder sister did to me, but the police saw it as a minor issue which could be resolved amicably.
“After we left the station, they began to abuse me and make jest of me. They said I was a failure and not even a man for dragging them to the police station. In fact, they threatened me. They said they would deal with me and kill me if I did not desist from reporting them on the street. I saw those words as big threats. So, I believe I had to act fast before they carried out their threats.
“That same day, I took action. I went to a petrol station at night to buy fuel. I went to their house, poured petrol inside their room and fled. My intention was to kill Titi and her sister; I did not mean to kill the entire family.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Undie Adie, described Adenuga as a notorious criminal who was once jailed for murder.
He said, “It is unfortunate to note that the same suspect is notorious for heinous crimes. He killed his former wife, Abiye, sometime in 2000, which led to his being remanded in Olokuta Prison.
“He, however, escaped with other inmates during a jailbreak in 2013. The earlier murder case is also going to be revisited with a view to having him face the full weight of the law,” the commissioner added.
He said Titi was undergoing treatment in an undisclosed hospital in the state. Punch
